Boundaries
by Cappucafe
Summary: Outside, there are limits to killing. But within Valeria Lavine's clan, there are limits to how little you can kill. Valeria is a 15 year old sarcastic girl, described as a runaway gorilla by those around her. Caught up in the Hunter exam and a coming of age ceremony, she wants to set boundaries for herself with the help of her friends, before she starts killing her family.
1. Chapter 1: Meet the Gorilla

Life wasn't easy for Valeria Lavine, a petite teenage girl with light brown hair tied in short twintails, and teal eyes. After literally getting thrown off the cliff by her father and crawling back up when two weeks passed, she was tossed onto a boat and was ordered to take the Hunter Exam. But hey, who was she to judge if life was easy or not? Maybe that blondie of the same age on the hammock across from her happened to lose his entire clan to a murderous blacklisted gang. Or maybe that old man who was obviously saying something to her, had some sad childhood. Life is full of thrills and it's Valeria's lifelong motto that you don't expect anything from life.

"...Are you even listening?" The middle aged man pointed at her accusingly. In Valeria's lap was a bottle of pills, meant to cure motion sickness. Unlabelled, it must have looked like she was a drug addict. "Girls this young shouldn't be so addicted to drugs! I don't even know those pills...you might get an overdose!"

"It's fine, old man. If you're one with nature, you know what you're doing." Valeria had meant for that phrase to represent her country's knowledge of medicinal herbs but the old man had taken it differently. Valeria was now a crazy drug addict who wants to return to the earth. And never wake up.

"It's Leorio-san! And you're crazy, you still have a healthy life ahead of you and imagine all of those who are dying for a chance to live! Don't waste your life."

"Thanks for your worry, Leonardo diCaprio,but I am aware."

"My name is Leorio! You know, when someone forgets another person's name, it's because it's too long or complicated. But your mistake seems far more complicated than my name actually is." Leorio shouted but the brown haired girl just brushed off his complaint.

"Yes yes, Luigi...forgive me, but don't get too upset. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone messes up at least one or two people's name. It's not a big deal."She tucked her medications into her white tie-string bag and slung it over her shoulder. She noticed a blonde haired boy who was staring at them before continuing to read. "People confuse my name too, you know? They think my name is Gorilla Girl or Dead Fish. It's a common thing."She jumped down from her hammock and walked over to a vomiting man.

"No...I don't think they mistook your name. It's obvious that they are making fun of you."

"What are you talking about? It's obviously a mistake...they haven't called me that since I broke a limb or two by accident." The strange girl patted a vomiting man's back. What seemed like a light, comforting pat, sent the man flying through the wall. "Tch...men these days are so weak."

"Hey...isn't this girl dangerous?" Leorio watched the girl adjust her white cardigan, which was over a light teal halter top. Stretching out her back and cracking her knuckles, the brown haired girl single handedly pulled the buff man out of the wall, sending him flying back. The blonde boy on the hammock snorted in response and Leorio looked up with horrified eyes. Before Leorio could say anything, the door to the room swung open and the captain came in. Behind him was a boy who was carrying bottles of water and he began to distribute them to all of the men who were sick from the violent waves of the sea. The captain smirked in approval before signalling Valeria, Leorio, the boy, and the blonde to follow him. "You four follow me." He then left and the boy immediately followed him

"You think he's going to ambush us?" Leorio asked, only to receive very discouraging reactions from the others. Kurapika had rolled his eyes and Valeria merely shrugged before the pair walked out. Leorio grumped and also followed, not too far all stepped into a room, where a large concave glass window showed the deck and wide ocean. The captain rested his right hand on the steering wheel while the other gave himself a nice smoke or two. Blowing out puffs of what Valeria calls "dirty air", he pulled his tobacco away from him and began to eye each one of them.

"So, what are your names?" The captain pointed at Valeria, beckoning for the girl to start first. Valeria responded instantly lied with a straight face, cracked the others up, and earned a disapproving sigh from the captain.

"First name Hot, last name Bitch." Valeria examined her nails but when she heard no response, she tilted her head up to see the unamused look she received. Rolling her eyes she properly introduced herself this time. "Valeria."

"Kurapika." The blond boy next to her followed the gesture to introduce himself. He was a bishounen, a type of character that she never would have thought to encounter. Except for her manhwa. The boy noticed her staring and turned to look at her quizzically before Valeria turned away.

"Gon Freecs!" The youngest boy answered eagerly. He looked like he was twelve and there was a sense of innocence and purity that it slightly blinded Valeria's eyes and gave her a wave of the feeling of overprotectiveness.

"Leorio." Leorio stuck his hands into his pocket and sighed. He was obviously reluctant to provide any information to the captain. This was especially true as the man suspiciously pulled them to the side to interrogate them.

"Why did you all choose to be a hunter?" The captain asked, nodding his head at their answers. He glanced at Leorio, expecting the man to begin first but all Leorio did was scoff. "As if we're going to tell you."

Contrary to what Leorio's response was to the captain, Gon eagerly answered. He seemed genuinely excited and a normal person would think that this poor, innocent boy has no idea what the exam will be like. "I'm looking for my dad! I want to know why he abandoned his son to become a hunter!"

"Don't just answer like that!" Immediately, Leorio jumped into the conversation and began to scold Gon. Gon merely scratched his chin and tilted his head in confusion. He squinted his eye momentarily while he thought about what Leorio said before his eyes sparkled in confusion and naivety. "Why?"

"Why?!" Leorio sputtered, as if this was a bizarre question. "Just because! There's no point in giving away information to strangers!"

"I agree with Leorio. I don't think it's right for me to answer personal questions to those who I do not trust." Kurapika added. Leorio silently muttered that it was 'Leorio-san' before he silenced himself.

"I was kicked out of the house." Valeria replied when she saw that the Captain had rolled his eyes at the two boys before looking at her. He blinked before his brain took in the information. The group stared at her as they squinted, imagining the situation. A DELINQUENT?! Is that what she was? Is she a simple gorilla in her rebellious phase and is actually running away from home? The old man coughed as he placed his arms behind his back.

"The Hunter exam isn't a place for runaways-"

Valeria cut him off with a simple "I know." He stared at the girl, who dug into the pocket of her white shorts and pulled out a piece of gum, with doubt before sighing and moving on. Valeria opened the silver wrapper and took out the gum, chewing it. As for the wrapper, she put it in the small ashtray near the control wheel.

"Is that so? Then the two of you," The old man pointed at Leorio and Kurapika. "Must get off this ship immediately."

"What?!"

"Don't you get it? The hunter qualification has already begun."

The group of teens looked at each other in mild surprise before clearing their throat and silently listened to the pitter patter of the rain. The captain scoffed at their sudden meekness and grunted:"...So answer the damn question."

The two boys hesitated and Kurapika spoke. "I'm a survivor of the Kurta tribe. There's a group of bandits who massacred my tribe four years ago. I want to become a hunter to capture the Phantom Troupe."

"A blacklist hunter applicant, eh? The Phantom Troupe are A-class bounties that even veteran hunters would have difficulties. You will most likely die."

"I don't fear death, I only worry that my rage would dissipate." Kurapika's eyes glistened. Valeria only chewed while listening. Or at least one would think she is. Valeria was thinking about the flavour of her gum. She furrowed her eyebrows and winced. Sour...unknown flavour.

Leorio began to speak about wanting money and luxuries. Kurapika retorted something back and there was a heavy atmosphere around them. The two walked outside, planning a heated battle while the captain was trying to call them back.

"Let them be sir.'To know someone is to know what angers him.' It's one of my favourite sayings that Aunt Mito taught me." Gon sat down.

"Why don't they just openly convey their feelings. What a bunch of troublesome, pubescent boys." Valeria tilted her head, showing her obvious confusion with the boys' actions. Valeria grew up in a straightforward environment and has not be in the presence of "delicacy" and "sensitivity." If someone didn't like someone, they fight to kill. If someone was in love, they would give mating callings and offer their fullest attentions. "By the way, where's the trash can?"

The captain sighed and pointed to a room. "Go that way." Valeria nodded and then looked at Gon with a smile, before entering the room with her bored expression that said she was done with everything. Gon's eyes followed the careless girl and returned his attention to the old man.

"She's an odd but nice miss." Gon commented.

"Really? She seems like a runaway gorilla to me." The captain scratched his beard. A man suddenly ran in, shouting: "Captain! The storm is approaching faster than we expected!" The captain and Gon left, heading for the deck while Valeria got rid of her gum. The girl didn't seem bothered at all when she slid across the room due to the tilting of the ship. She adjusted her shorts and halter top before heading out. She just happened to see Gon leap out to save a man overboard and Leorio and Kurapika catch him. However, Valeria noticed the unstable, wooden railing and ruffled her hair in frustration. She was supposed to be on a vacation- training...and now she has to save a group of idiots?

"Aw curses!" The girl tossed her white cardigan aside, onto a man. "Please hold onto it!" Her teal flats tapped as she ran towards the boys. When Valeria was at the edge of the railing, she lightly tapped the wooden planks underneath her, causing her right heel to sink into it. Valeria quickly grabbed the end of a rope and tied it around her waist. It was connected to the main support beam, making it secure for her. She grabbed hold of Leorio's and Kurapika's hands just after the railing broke.

The crew members attempted to pull her back but the ship rocked violently, not allowing them to do so.

"Stay back!' She ordered the crew members. Almost immediately they stiffened and nodded as they continued to help with the sails. Valeria inhaled sharply as felt drops of rain run down her cheeks and onto her lips. Licking the drop, she crouched and her muscles tensed.

"What are you doing? You'll get pulled down! That rope isn't enough to carry all of our weight!" Kurapika shouted at Valeria. He glanced at the rope that was hugging main support pole of the ship and then stared at the petite, "weak" girl.

"Who said it was carrying your weight?" Valeria looked down at the blonde boy, before rolling her eyes. She then shouted an issue to the males who were hanging literally hanging onto their life, or should I say, Valeria. "Everyone brace themselves for an impact, because whatever happens after, ain't my fault."

Valeria easily pulled everyone back and tossed them onto the other side of ship, to safety. It was as if it was a little grade schooler plucking out a flower and feeling oddly triumphant.

"?!" Everyone seemed to have a stunned expression as the petite girl tossed four males, three who are larger than her, with such ease and showed no signs of effort.

Valeria pulled herself towards the support beam by pulling the rope tied around her waist. Her face seem to sag even further and her eyes seemed tired of life in general, the moment the rope snapped because she pulled on it too hard.

"Curse Papa and his stupid tug of war games." Valeria grumbled before stumbling back. She fell back but this time, Kurapika and Gon reached out for her hands and pulled her back.

Valeria combed back her messy hair and took her white cardigan back from a crew member, who was awestruck. "Thanks." She bowed slightly with an odd pose with her hands. No one quite recognized it and Valeria rushingly changed it as she realized she was bringing out an old habit. But Kurapika recognized the gesture as a symbol of greeting, thanks, and politeness before a brutal bloodbath among the Che'ang Clan.

Also known as the Lavine Clan.


	2. Chapter 2: You're a Lavine!

**Lol hi guys. Um, for those who have already read chapter 2...yah...sorry...there was a mixup of Valeria's clan and last name. Sorry, I've been a little bit to hyper these past few days because of the lack of sleep (if that makes sense.)**

 **So to make up for it, I'll give you guys an important heads up. Even though there was a mixup between "Lavine" and "Shi", Valeria's clan name is Lavine. However, Shi is a really important name to remember :)**

 **Once again I'm so so sorry about the mixup. I was editing after I posted (lol Idek why) and I confused myself. So please continue to enjoy the story and don't hate me :)**

* * *

The boat docked and the four stepped off.

"Wow~" Gon admired the view before him. Valeria followed him with a bored and a face that said she was wondering why she was even here.

"Can't believe I actually miss Lavine village." She muttered to herself. Kurapika, who was next to her, overheard Valeria's lament.

"Um, Valeria? I was wondering this since I first heard your name...but are you perhaps part of the famous Lavine clan?" He asked.

"Famous clan? I ain't heard of them before." Leorio slung his bag over his shoulder. He looked around the city and added: "There sure are tons of people."

"Majority of the crowd is probably here for the exam. And yes, unluckily, I'm part of that clan."

"...I think you should be at least grateful that your clan is alive." Kurapika commented.

"The ironic thing is I wish they were alive." Valeria stretched. She looked down at her outfit, thinking back. Her papa definitely would not be pleased to see her wear such a girlish clothing. She shrugged her shoulder before picking her ear and placing it onto a strange man.

The stranger had knocked over an old lady and had called her a turtle. Valeria made sure to dig her ear wax deep into the man's head as she dragged his head onto the concrete with her right head and outstretched her left to help the old lady. The old lady bowed in thanks.

"...well...I guess everyone has their own circumstances." Kurapika smiled.

"Darn right." Valeria replied with a lazy grin. The two seem to immediately make up and are acting like the best of friends. Leorio watched the two wander off, after Gon, while sweating. Did they just ignore the fact that Gorilla girl made cracks in the concrete floor just by dragging a man down onto the ground?

Leorio shook his head and went after them, looking at the map. He tilted his head in confusion. "Hm? The mountain is in the opposite direction? Shouldn't we take the bus? Gon, you should be more suspicious of others."

"I'm still going. There must have been a reason." Gon left them behind.

"I'm against pollution and my middle name is 'Nature Wild'." Valeria followed Gon.

"Seriously?" Leorio and Kurapika stared at her.

Valeria turned back with a mocking smirk, without losing her lazy glint in her eyes. "I remember someone saying 'you should be more suspicious of others.' Looks like Gon isn't the only one." Valeria mimicked before turning around.

Kurapika laughed and followed the strange boy and girl.

"WHY YOU-Hey, Kurapika!" Leorio's face turned bright red.

"It's not the captain's advice. I'm more interested in what Gon does. I'm more interested in Valeria's line of thinking. I'm going to tag along with them." Kurapika ran to Valeria's and Gon's side.

"Do you think Leorio-san will be okay?" Gon looked up at the two older people.

"He'll probably be back in a few seconds. I have someone in my village who's just like him."

Kurapika laughed. "Is that why you are constantly making fun of him?"

"Of course not. Admit it, you two will enjoy messing around with him...he's just that easy of a victim." Valeria yawned. "Beside, I'm pretty sure the captain has a reason for pointing us here. Leorio just has trust issues."

"In fact I hear him yelling." Kurapika looked back, seeing a figure that was coming closer at a rapid speed.

The four continued an isolated alleyway that looked deserted.

"This is so creepy...there's not a single person in sight." Leorio looked around.

"But there's a lot of people here, right?" Gon asked.

"Yes...we should stay alert." Kurapika glanced around.

"You don't need to...I'm not the slightest interested in a place with no plants. So I won't hold back when it comes down to fighting." Valeria puts her arms behind her head as her white bag swung at her side. Her face still wore the dazed and uninterested expression.

"H-how do you know there are people?!" Leorio panicked.

"You can hear people breathing." Kurapika seemed to relax slightly, after hearing Valeria's bold statement.

"I guess they're hiding." Gon added.

Suddenly, people appeared, with one old woman in a crowd and everyone else wearing masks. The old woman began chanting until she suddenly shouted: "Doki doki two choice quizzzz!"

The group of four stared at her in silence.

"You fellas are heading towards the tree on top of the mountain right? Well that's not possible until you pass through this town. I will present just one question and you only have five seconds to answer. If you are wrong...you will immediately be disqualified and you will not be able to take the hunter exam this year." The old woman explained.

"Answer with either 1 or 2. Any other answer will be considered incorrect." The old woman finished.

"Hey wait a minute...all three of us are asked just one question? So if he get's it wrong then I'll be disqualified too?!" Leorio pointed at Kurapika who retorted: "That's not possible. On the contrary, the chance of the opposite happening is so high that it's frightening." Leorio immediately got angered and tackled Kurapika. Surprisingly, Valeria didn't say any rude or witty comebacks.

"But that also means only one of us has to get it right for all of us to pass!" Gon grinned. "Although I'm not that great with quizzes."

"That makes sense."

"Hey! Are you gonna hurry up or what?" A random boy appeared from behind. "If you aren't feeling too confident, why don't you let me go first? Hehe sorry kid. I sort of overheard what you said at the harbour."

"Tch." Valeria's lazy eyes seemed to be more attentive...in fact it gave the newcomer shivers down his spine.

"I-" He cleared his throat. "I'll go first."

"Here's the question." The old woman began. "Your mother and your girlfriend have been kidnapped by evil villains, and you can only rescue one of them. 1: mother, 2:girlfriend. Who would you rescue?"

"One."

"What's the reason for you answer?"

"Obviously, I only have one mother in the whole world but I can always find another girlfriend."

The old woman and the people in masks huddled together to discuss.

"Bullshit." Valeria spoke. Her companions looked startled at her her to suddenly speak such a vulgar word. It wasn't because she didn't seem like it...but they were slightly concerned about how her eyes became more attentive and sharp. Yet, Valeria wasn't affected enough to shift her laziness from her eyes. "As if my clan gives a shit."

"Wha-" Kurapika began but the old woman and the masked people created a path for the boy. "You may go." The old woman beckoned the boy.

"What kind of messed up quiz is this?! Stupid hag!"Leorio began yelling. He turned away and began to walk. "There's no correct answer and the answer will differ according to the person you ask! I can't accept this. I'm going back to find a different route."

"Hmph...too late. If you choose not to take the quiz, you'll be disqualified immediately and you'll lose the right to become a hunter."

"Leorio!" Kurapika began but was cut off by the old woman.

"I will not allow you to speak another word." The old woman stopped Kurapika. She glanced at Valeria. "Neither can you."

Valeria sat down, crossing her legs and yawned. She ruffled her hair before answering. "Yes ma'am."

The old woman nodded and continue: "Now answer me, 1: you take the quiz, 2: you don't take the quiz."

"One." Kurapika immediately answered.

"Now here's the question: Your son and daughter have been kidnapped together but you can only rescue one of the. One, your daughter. Two, your son. Who would you rescue?"

"How dare you-?!"

The old woman began to count down while Leorio grabbed a stick and began swing it around. When the old lady finished counting, Leorio began to attack.

"Stop Leorio! Calm down." Kurapika defended the short elderly.

"No I can't! I can't accept this system! It's utter bull-"

"Are you going to give up your chance? We answered correctly!Silence is the correct answer since there can't possibly be a correct answer. But the rule was you could only answer 1 or 2. So you can't say anything."

"Wha? But that guy just now…"

"They didn't say he was correct. They just said he could 'go'. Just a moment ago, I hear him scream so this is not the correct path." Kurapika pointed at where the man headed to earlier. The old woman nodded.

"That's right. The true path is this way. It'sa straightforward path so you'll reach the top within two hours." Two masked people pulled a d'avoir open.

"Old lady...I'm sorry." Leorio apologized.

"No, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. I do this job to meet people like you. Work hard and become a good hunter."

"...Thanks."

"I can't come up with an answer!" Gon suddenly spoke up. The two other males began laughing while Valeria smiled a little. She stood up and dusted herself before putting an arm on top of Gon's head. "The test is over."

"I know that. But...if there ever comes a situation where we have to choose between two people who are precious to us to rescue, what are you going to do?" The two males looked shocked while Valeria stared at him, as if she was hurt and sad, yet proud and warm. It was only for a brief moment before she returned to her usual lazy demeanour.

"Neither one is the correct answer but there might come a day when we must make a decision." Gon continued. Everyone continued in silence before they decided to move on.

"Wait." They looked back at the old woman who spoke again.

"You…" She pointed at Valeria. "I have a question for you. It's not a test or a quiz...but mere curiosity."

"Yes?"

"If you had to choose between your lover or your parent, who would you save?"

"...There wouldn't be a choice by then. My parents would kill themselves. If I saved my parents, they would kill themselves. If I chose my lover, my clan would brand me as a wise family head." Valeria replied. Her male companions stared at her, mortified, confused and shocked.

"As I expected, you're from the Lavine clan. A child came several years ago with an even more horrific answer." The old woman stared at her. She then began quoting: "I would save my so called lover, for the sake of producing a heir, a strong child, and witnessing their coming of age ceremony. I would have killed off my family long before they got kidnapped."

Valeria gave a disgusted smile. "Ah...the Lavine clan's pride and genius...he's always been twisted."

"But think about the question I asked earlier: what would you personally want to do?" The old woman put her hands behind her back. "Good luck on your exam."

Valeria looked at the woman before turning and walking through the dark passage, towards the light. Kurapika, Leorio and Gon followed her.


	3. Chapter 3: Nature is Paradise

"It's gotten completely dark." Leorio commented. "Two hour passed dammit. Another sign about demon beasts? Do you think we'll make it on time?" Leorio complained.

"I personally like it here. It's nature." Valeria said with her usual straight face. The only thing off was her hugging a large tree. "Stop complaining, Luiginardo di Cerio. And accept your inner self. We are one with nature."

"My name is Leorio! You're so close yet so far! I'm hungry and I want to take a crap."

"Leorio! Valeria! We're going to leave you two behind." Gon called out. Kurapika sighed in exasperation and glanced around.

No one in the group wanted to question Valeria about what her conversation was about. Especially since she has been acting really odd ever since the conversation, such as hugging trees.

Kurapika glanced up and his eyes widened. He walked over to Valeria and peeled Valeria off the tree. He grabbed her hand and pulled the lifeless girl behind him.

"I see our destination." Kurapika said.

"Thank god we're finally here."

"It's quiet...are we the only applicants here?" Kurapika asked. Leorio knocked on the door but there was no reply. The group entered to only see a demon beast holding onto an injured girl and there was an injured man lying down.

"A demon beast!" Everyone was on guard. The beast barged through the boys who were lined up while Valeria rushed next to the injured man's and propped him to a more comfortable position. Kurapika and Gon ran out, but Valeria followed the two. "Leorio, stay behind and look after the injured one. I have antibiotics and painkillers that may work slightly better than the average one. But they hurt more." She tossed her bag to him.

The group chased the demon beast, who ran into the forest.

"That way." Gon immediately tracked the beast down.

"Seriously, that kid is amazing… He pinpointed the position instantly." Valeria whistled.

"Why didn't you stay behind? You seem to have some knowledge in medicine." Kurapika asked.

"Not really...I just admire plants. Besides...wouldn't the mister be more relieved if we brought the wife back?" Valeria crouched against the tree horizontally. She then boosted herself off at a dashing speed. "Gon, if I go off course tell me." She went past the boy.

"Okay!" Gon nodded.

Kurapika chuckled. Valeria herself was pretty impressive with her extreme strength. As Valeria approached the beast, it looked back, startled at the sudden appearance of the girl.

Valeria pulled the girl out of the beast's grasp and princess carried her.

"...?!" The beast didn't react quick enough for Valeria to deliver a swift kick, sending him back, knocking down a few trees in the process.

"Tch...the poor trees." Valeria leapt onto a steady branch as Kurapika and Gon caught up.

"Why you…! I won't forget this!" The beast dashed off, further into the forest, with Gon chasing after him.

"Wow! He talks! I'll go after him." Gon said. "You two look after the lady."

Valeria and Kurapika put the girl down on the grass.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Kurapika asked.

"What about my husband and what happened to him.?" The woman asked.

"He's being taken care of by our friend." Kurapika answered.

"Please take me to where my husband is." The woman pleaded, stretching her hand out as if begging for help. The tattoo caused Kurapika to be more on guard, while Valeria seemed to look at a particular bush.

"Kurapika, Valeria, are you two alright?" Leorio asked.

"I'm in a better shape than the trees, which is rather disappointing." Valeria answered.

"Yeah...Gon went after the demon beast. How's the man doing?" Kurapika asked.

"THere's nothing to worry about. His injuries weren't that bad and he took some painkillers and is sleeping now." Leorio gave a thumbs up.

"I see.."Kurapika hit Leorio.

"How did you know I was fake?" Leorio slowly transformed.

"I didn't particularly think you were a fake...but he left the injured man and came here instead so I struck him." Kurapika glared.

The beast laughed and escaped. Valeria bent her knees, preparing for a sprint. "I'll go after him. You stay here and take care of this." She left and Kurapika directed his attention back to the girl.

"Hey...demon beast...would you mind going to an open plain? I really don't like destroying plants." Valeria sneezed.

"Hehehe...as if I'm letting a Lavine get a bigger advantage." The demon beast smirked before fastening his pace.

"Wow, how did you know?" Valeria asked, with the tone that said "I really don't care"...but she was a little bit curious.

"First of all, you have light brown hair and clear teal eyes, traits that the women of the clan has. Second, you have a black dragon tattoo with a Che'ang character."

"Anyone can have that…" Valeria easily caught up.

"But no one can have the strength of a Lavine member. And you are hiding a Lavine weapon with the clan symbol engraved. Also...you have the same vibe as the rest of them." The demon beast's eyes gleamed as it saw the shortened iron rod on the waist of the girl. It suddenly sensed danger and it's beady eyes immediately widened as Valeria appeared right next to it.

"Lesson one:Valeria Lavine is a runaway brat who's in her rebellious phase. I ain't like my Papa, and I'm not a character who obediently follows the clan's unecassary ideals. Lesson Two: Don't think that the Lavines are a glorious clan. We're nothing but self centred humans. Lesson Three: " Valeria flicked the beast on the forehead and sent him crashing straight down. She landed on one of the branches, crouching in an unladylike fashion. Her teal eyes followed the retreating and limping figure, like a hawk preparing for it's next strike."You don't have identical injuries as the first beast I kicked." She yawned and scratched the back of her head. "You got me there, mister navigator. I completely flipped and was prepared to eliminate you while assuming you were an enemy."

She stood up and closed her eyes as she placed her hand gently on the tree. She tied her hair again, this time in twin tails.

"Now then, let's continue this game of tag. Papa would have been so proud to hear me say that." Valeria heard voices within the plants as they all seem to reach and guide her.

"There….Valeria...follow….breeze…" The voices echoed inside her mind. She rushed through the forest and saw Gon facing off with a demon beast.

"You're different!" Gon accused.

"Found you." Valeria claimed.

The demon beast looked at both children before laughing out and calling his wife out.

Kurapika and Leorio along with the "supposingly injured" couple, stepped out into the clearing.

"What…?" The group was confused about what was happening.

"How many years has it been since we met a human who could tell us apart?" The two beasts stared at Gon. One of them pointed at Valeria. "And she's pretty observant for someone who has dead-fish eyes."

"What did you just say, bastard?" Valeria asked.

"Well I'm sure you guys know by now, but we're navigators." They said.

"Kurapika has an impressive set of knowledge and he was able to capture the subtlest hint that we weren't a couple."

"Leorio couldn't figure out my identity, but he was able to perform first-aid faster and more accurate than even a doctor. Also, he continued to console and encourage me that my wife was alright."

"Gon possessed excellent athleticism and observation skills."

"And Valeria possesses good control over her superhuman strength. She seemed to have caught on that we weren't hostile as the last blow wasn't as terrible as it seemed. Otherwise, I would've broken one of my legs. She also seems to be quite in sinkwith nature itself."

"Sorry about that sir. If you haven't idly talked, I would have just assumed you were an enemy and went overboard." Valeria rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"You guys pass." The family of magical beasts nodded in approval. They carried the group to the site as Valeria and company enjoyed a flight through the skies. However, they weren't even at the starting line.


	4. Chapter 4: NEVER Judge by Appearance

"What? Are you saying that normal restaurant is where hunter prospects from all over the world is gathered here?" Leorio questioned as the four Hunter candidates looked at a small restaurant.

They walked in as the navigator continued guided them in. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Welcome!" The owner of the restaurant shouted out. "Your order?"

"The steak meal."

"How would you like it cooked?"

"Slowly over a weak fire."

"Coming right up."

"Please follow me to the room." A waiter came up to them and brought the group to the very back of the restaurant where there was an isolated room.

Everyone else stared at the table with food, awkwardly, while Valeria strided to a chair and sat down, with legs criss crossed and clapped her hands together. "Thanks for the food."

The other three slowly and cautiously followed her gesture but stopped and looked back at the navigator, when he began to talk again: "One out of 10,000. THat's the probability of making it to this room. You guys have done extremely well for beginners. Alright then, good luck rookies. We'll be more than happy to guide you guys next year too." He closed the door behind him and turned the knob. Everyone began to feel the room moving.

"That was rude. He talked as if he knew we wouldn't pas this year." Leorio began to stuff his face.

"Once every three years." Kurapika replied. He began to explain the difficulties of going through the Hunter exam while Valeria picked her teeth with a toothpick.

"Why do people go through such hardships?" Gon asked.

Valeria, Leorio and Kurapika all looked at him. "A hunter is the..."

"Strongest" Valeria said.

"Most well paid" Leorio replied in sync with Valeria.

"Respected" Kurapika exclaimed at the same time as the other two.

"Job in the world!"

"..." Gon stared at them and the three shot daggers at each other. Or more like Leorio and Kurapika glared at each other while Valeria yawned.

The two argued over the benefits and every details of being a hunter while Gon looked confused. Valeria sighed and patted him on the head. "If you're confused don't listen to the babbling idiots. We can sort everything out after we pass the exam."

"What?!" Leorio and Kurapika shouted. "Are you saying we're stupid?"

Valeria stood up and placed her palm on the table, cracking and splitting it in half. "You got a problem?" She stared back at them with a menacing look in her eyes.

The two shut up before Kurapika spoke again. "Then...Valeria and Gon...what type of Hunters do you want to be."

Valeria and Gon looked at each other.

"I don't really know…" Gon commented.

"Ideally a plant researcher. But I think I would probably be a Blacklist hunter like Kurapika." Valeria dusted her hands a bit before the elevator rang and indicated they were at their stepped out and the group felt the intensity for the air. The three boys stuck closer to Valeria who was ruffling her hair and still head that dead fish look in her eyes.

"What's with this uncomfortable closeness?" Valeria looked at the three, not really showing any discomfort. It was more like a motherly "Don't worry children."

"No...I just...think that you have the laziest atmosphere and relaxed 'I don't give a crap' feeling so I feel like if I stick with you, I won't go paranoid." Leorio replied for the other two. "Besides if anything happens, you can use your gorilla strength to beat up the others-" He was cut off when Valeria stared at him coldly with her pair of dead eyes that said "Who are ye calling gorilla?". The floor underneath her was cracked and sunken in around her.

She then spat at the ground and walked away. Most of the intense air dissipated as a lot of people saw the perfect circle hole in the ground and then the petite girl walking away and Kurapika and Gon were stifling their laughter.

A man watching them from above, began sweating and noted not to go near the girl. He slowly approached the group and waved. "Yo! I'm Tompa! Glad to meet ya!" He offered his hand while a creature that looked like a bean was handing out numbered tags to the newcomers.

Valeria scratched her head and looked around. Several people who had not seen the crack in the ground made by her, snickered at her.

She heard soft whispers of mockery, such as: "She's so petite…"

"Look at how dead her eyes look. She doesn't even look serious for the exam…"

Valeria picked her ear and then took her finger out, blowing it. She sighed.

"And you all are too damn serious…" She muttered. Tompa, the man from before suddenly appeared next to her with a can of juice. "Ah! I've already introduced myself to your friends. My name is Tompa. Here's a can of juice has a token of friendship."

"Valeria." She stared down at the juice. Valeria took it and opened it. Before she could drink or anything, another kid came up. He had spiky white hair and lake blue eyes. He also had a tucked skateboard underneath his arms.

"Hey Tompa. Do you have anymore of that juice?"

"Huh? Sure…"

Killua took several cans of juice and began to chug all of them down. Valeria and Killua seemed to notice Tompa's strained face and Killua spoke up. "No need to worry...I've been trained so that not even poison can kill me." He smirked. He then looked at Valeria.

"Hey, miss. It's probably better if you don't drink it. I don't know what it exactly is...but it's probably not good for you."

"..." Valeria's hand twitched and then the can exploded. She turned her attention to Tompa and placed her hand on his head. She "lightly" pushed Tompa's head down and he smashed his face into the ground.

"You fucking bastard tried to ruin my dreams." Valeria placed her foot on his back.

Killua stared at her in shock and paled slightly with a small smile. "Um...miss?"

Valeria took her foot off and spat on Tompa. She cracked her knuckles. "Try anymore dirty tricks and ur going to get hurt."

Tompa struggled to get up, but could barely move so he talked instead. He turned his currently bloody and swollen face towards her. "Ummm...I don't think a dead fish eyed gorilla would have dreams here and I'm already hurt."

Valeria grabbed him by his collar and smiled with those empty pair of eyes. "Whad'ya say, bastard. Want another blow to that face by this dead-fish-eyed female gorilla?" She was about to punch him when a weird screeching echoed throughout the room.

Everyone turned their attention to a strange man in a suit with an odd moustache.

"Let's commence the Hunter Exam! I will confirm one more time. The exam is extremely difficult and dangerous. If you don't care, please follow me." He said.

Everyone began to follow him and he nodded in approval. He then began to pick up his pace and everyone went from walking to running. Everyone began to run, though confused why.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Satotsu and I'm the examiner of the first exam. I will now escort you to the second exam site."

"What? What about the first exam?" Someone asked.

"The first exam already began...it's to follow me to the second exam."

Valeria was running the boy next to her was riding a skateboard. They stared at each other as they began to pick up their pace faster and faster.

A vein appeared on Valeria's forehead. "Hey...are you picking a fight with me?"

Killua smirked. "Not a fight but a race. Let's see if you have super speed like you do for super strength. "

"Damn you brat." She gritted her teeth and began sprinting.

The two began racing until they reached Gon, Leorio and Kurapika.

"Oh!" The four exclaimed.

"Hey kid! That's not fair!" Leorio shouted at Kurapika.

"What why?" Killua asked.

"It's not against the rules…" Gon said. "The examiner only said to follow him.

"Don't waste your stamina." Kurapika sighed.

"Learn to shut up." Valeria commented.

Killua glanced back at Gon. "Hey you...how old are you?"

"I just turned 12." Gon answered.

"Hmmm…" Killua commented. He did a little trick with his skateboard. "Fine, I'll run too. I'm Killua."

"Wow that was amazing! I'm Gon!"

"Hey miss! What's your name?" Killua asked Valeria.

"I'm Valeria." She answered.

"Hmmm….What about you ossan! What's your name!" Killua looked at Leorio.

"Wha-?! I may look like this but I'm still in my teens just like the rest of you guys." Leorio shouted.

"Eh?" Valeria's face blanked out completely and it looked like she was going to become like dust and disintegrate.

"V-Valeria? Let's get away from them…" Kurapika stared at Valeria who was going through shock.

"Well...there are middle-aged people who still have toddlers' faces." Valeria replied.

"Mhmmm…." Kurapika nodded.

Three hours passed, and almost everyone was ready to pass out. Valeria, Gon and Killua seemed perfectly fine. Kurapika was slightly getting tire with several beads trickling down. However, the same cannot be said for Leorio.

He was breathing heavily and he was literally soaked in sweat. He slowly began to fall behind. Valeria blinked and looked at Kurapika.

"Where's the oss-teenager who looks like a middle-aged man and the kids?"

"You still haven't gotten over it yet, have you." Kurapika laughed, mostly in exasperation.

"Well...I find it really hard to believe. I mean...if you were 100% certain about someone's identity to only have the entire impression destroyed within one second...it makes you think ah...has this all been a lie." Valeri closed her eyes and shuddered.

"I think you're just overthinking it."

Valeria was about to reply when Leorio suddenly rushed pushed them.

"..." Valeria and Kurapika stared at Leorio's oddly running figure with abnormal high motivation.

"What the hell?"


	5. Chapter 5: Hide Your Fetishes Please

"Leorio are you alright?" Kurapika asked the half naked, sweating teen.

"Are you asking if he's physically or mentally alright? Or both?" Valeria asked.

"Shut up Gorilla! As you can see...I realized I can keep going as long as I don't care about appearances!" Leorio shouted.

"Heh...you sure don't care about calling me gorilla. If we weren't doing an exam right now I would have broken the stairway with you as my weapon." Valeria stared at Leorio, sending a shiver down his spine. Kurapika remained silent, taking off his poncho and following Leorio's gesture.

"Leorio can I ask you one thing?" Kurapika asked.

"I don't want to waste my stamina talking." Leorio huffed and panted.

Valeria immediately came up with a retort. "If you use up your stamina talking, then just take off your pants too. It's not like you care about appearances. It's not like you have anything to lose. It's probably not as shocking as you being a teenager. Besides you'll gain things instead: Speed and attention."

"You...really have a nasty, sarcastic personality." Leorio paled. "I'm starting to think you're actually raised as a gorilla. No normal girl would tell a man to strip his pants off."

"You're the one who's thinking that. I'm just trying to think of ways for you to be more efficient." Valeria rolls her eyes. "Save your energy, buddy."

Kurapika interrupted the two. "Leorio, are you really trying to become a hunter only for money? From what I've seen, you aren't like the greedy people that I have met before."

"Oh yah. He ain't like no teenager boy I've seen before and I ain't a normal, tiny girl you've seen before." Valeria coughed and muttered underneath her breath.

"You sure like to argue with logic." Leorio answered Kurapika, not hearing Valeria's side comment.

Sensing Leorio's unwillingness to share, Kurapika decided to tell his tale to the two. Because Leorio wasn't the only person whom he was curious about.

"Scarlet eyes were the reason why the Kuruta tribe was targeted. Our tribe is the only people who have that unique trait. If our emotions become intense or excited, or pupils turn scarlet. If we die in that state, the colour remains. THe colour of the eyes is one of the seven most beautiful colours in the world."

"So you're saying that's why the Phantom Troupe massacred your tribe?" Leorio asked.

"I will reclaim the eyes of my people and avenge them!"

"They're probably sold in the black market." Valeria commented.

"If I become a Hunter, I can get them all back."

"Too bad….I don't have a noble reason like yours." Leorio sighed. "My goal is simply money."

"What? You honestly think you can buy everything with money-"

"Because with money, I could afford surgery for my friend. I could have afforded medication for my friend. I could have allowed my friend to continue living!" Leorio shouted.

Valeria picked her nose. "Such noble men...I've seen you two in a new light." She sneezed.

Kurapika and Leorio glanced at her. "What about you Valeria…Member of the Lavine clan?" Kurapika asked. "I heard that the clan was rather strict, but there isn't much intel on it. In fact, I've heard that even on the Hunter resources, there's only one article with facts about them and it's written by someone in the clan."

Valeria blew her finger, and dusted it off. She sighed. "Ah that...that's probably because either Papa blackmailed nosy and curious journalists, or the Chief ordered them not to or…" She paused herself from speaking and looked into the eyes of Kurapika and Leorio. "Killed them off."

A suffocating air hung around the three as the two boys were unsure what to say to her. Valeria looked to the side. "You see...our clan isn't really a fan of outsiders. They just see other people of inferior beings. And unlike you two, I'm only taking the Hunter Exam to test my worthiness of being an heiress. Sorry for you two good lil boys...This is just a game to my tribe to rid of the failures. I ain't that gorilla who can freely swing through the jungles with no care in the world." Valeria shrugged.

Leorio scratched his head and looked straight, not trying to say anything.

"A game to your tribe," Kurapika repeated. "Then what is this exam to you?"

"A game." Valeria grinned, with a hint of despair in the corner of her eyes. "A game to see if I can defend my little bro from being tormented alive as a clan failure and to see if I can take away his burden. Sorry Kurapika...not all clans are close and tight to the point where a single child will avenge his own clan. I wouldn't care if anyone in my clan died, except for my younger bro. Papa wouldn't care if my lil bro dies. HE wouldn't care if the clan was wiped out as long as a strong female remains to reproduce even stronger descendants for him."

Kurapika opened his mouth but closed again and looked forward.

Leorio sighed. "I guess everyone here has their personal reasons."

The trio continued to proceed upwards until they reached a clear opening with a crystal clear sky and a large marsh underneath them with so many different species. Valeria's dead fish eyes brightened in delight...as much as they could to still maintain that dead look in her eyes, even when the examiner said that they were extremely dangerous and people will die.

He looked at Valeria, out of amusement. "Aren't you scared, Miss?"

Valeria looked at the examiner. "Are you joking, sir? This is plant paradise! Regardless of how threatening they are, they are still wonderful species." What was supposed to be shining eyes and a brightened smile, on Valeria's face, it looked like a psychopathic murderer ready to go on a killing spree.

Stepping slightly back from Valeria, the man coughed. "Well then please take precautions and follow me. "Oh and another thing! The species that live in the marsh stops at nothing to gain food. The ecosystem tricks and eats their target is the very reason why this place is called swindler's nest. Now then, please follow me closely."

"Stop! Don't be tricked! I'm the real examiner! He's a fake!" A random man, injured and bleeding all over wandered to them. In his hands was a human faced monkey. "A human faced monkey that lives in the marsh. They like to eat fresh humans but they're so thin so they disguise themselves as humans, trying to lure their prey into the marsh and band with other species to eat them."

Valeria sighed. "Fake my ass."

Leorio, Kurapika, Gon, and Killua stared at her.

"What?" She blinked.

"Who?" They replied.

"Him-" Valeria pointed at the newcomer but there were cards imbedded within him. The group turned their head to the supposingly most dangerous examinee in the group: Hisoka. The examiner who has been leading them caught all of the cards.

"Wha-" The group asked.

Hisoka merely chuckled and shuffled his cards, while the killed "examiner" slowly reverted into a monkey. The monkey that the fake examiner took with him, was playing dead and immediately ran off for its' life, only to be killed by Hisoka.

"He's the real one." Hisoka looked at their examiner. "Examiners are chosen by the judging committee. It wouldn't make sense for a person who hold the occupation not to be able to fend for themselves with an attack like this."

"I'll take that as a compliment. But any attack whatsoever will be disqualified immediately. Understood?"

"Yes yes…" Hisoka commented.

A flock of birds emerged and began to peck at the dead monkey, eating them.

"That's the natural ecosystem here. The fake was going to lead some examinees astray and eat them. Life and death tricheries occur here all the time. Now then...time to continue."

"Valeria...how did you know that the examiner was fake before Hisoka did anything. I-it's not like I was tricked...it's just that I'm wondering if your logic was the same as mine." Leorio commented as they were running.

Valeria and Kurapika exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. "Nothing much. It's odd how an examiner would even get injured here. They should know this place really well. An examiner of the fake monkey's level can't even pass the Hunter Exam. Similar to Hisoka's logic...it's the matter of strength and skill the examiner should have."

Leorio swallowed and nodded. Kurapika sighed and continued looking forward.

She shuddered. "But honestly...I hate how rash and reckless Hisoka was. I hate those kind of people though I don't have the right to say that." An image appeared in her mind.

"Hey...isn't the fog getting thicker?" Leorio asked.

 _A boy with slender yet well toned body wearing a qipao._

"I'm starting to hear screaming." Kurapika looked around.

 _Flaming red hair in a long braid over a shoulder with the largest and most innocent smile, saying the vilest and cruelest things with the darkest and most bloodthirsty eyes. "Hey Valeria...your brother…should just die."_

Valeria halted and kicked a Kirihit Onosesame, sending it flying into another fog turtle and both crashed into numerous trees before out of sight.

Leorio and Kurapika's eyes widened. Both creatures were presumably dead as the flock of birds they had seen before dove down. They knew Valeria was strong but not this strong. They looked at her and realized Valeria was breathing heavily and rapidly.

"Valeria?" Kurapika walked up to her, worried. He placed his hand on her back, supposingly to soothe her breathing abnormally. Snapping back to attention, Valeria looked back up with that dead fish eyes and grinned. "Sorry...I'm not a fan of animals that disguise themselves as cute lil plants."

"Yo I think she was going to hyperventilate." Leorio whispered.

Kurapika nodded. "But first...we need to make it through the exam."

Valeria suddenly crouched in a defensive stance. "Guys be on guard. There's an intent to kill here." She dodged and caught the things that were flying at her.

Kurapika also acted instantly and fended it off with two swords. However Leorio was unable to defend himself and got a card imbedded into him. He yelped out in pain.

"Are you two okay?" Valeria asked, seeing dead bodies all around them. The other two nodded. Seeing Leorio's wound she asked: "Hey Leorio are ye a tough cookie? Can you handle a cut?" She asked.

"Yah.." Leorio grimaced and took out the card.

"Bastard what's the deal?" Kurapika shouted at the emerging figure: Hisoka. The man merely smiled and calmly replied: "I'm playing examiner. I was going to behave myself until the second exam But the first was soooo boring. So I thought I'd help with the selection process. By judging every one of you."

The three watched as the other examinees tried to attack Hisoka, only to see them all dead.

"You four are the last ones." Hisoka looked at the trio and another examinee with them.

Grimacing, the examinee signaled them to run and scatter when he gives an indication. They all steadied themselves and all ran when he shouted: "Run!".

Except the only thing is Valeria didn't run. Hisoka smirked at looked at her with interest.

"Your friends made a smart move...choosing to run. Are you trying to buy time for them? Or are you trying to hurt or kill me so they don't have to go through the effort? Or are you scared stiff that you can't move?" He licked his lips.

"What do you think, Examiner Number Two!" Valeria leapt up and was going to punch him but he dodged. She quickly pulled back her strength and landed on the ground. Valeria closed her eyes and kicked the arriving presence behind her, only to miss.

Valeria turned to punch him but he stepped back. Not falling for his dodging, she flicked her finger to his nose and sending him flying back, barely a meter.

Hisoka laughed as his nose was bleeding.

Shivering but trying to continue to remain calm, Valeria spoke up again.

"Hmmm….you're pretty strong. For someone outside of the Lavine Clan." Valeria dropped her hand. She then chuckled darkly. "In fact, I could defeat you easily if this was only a matter of physical strength. You have multiple other tricks don't you?"

Hisoka licked his lips. "You pass...little lioness of the Lavine clan."

Valeria was about to say something when Leorio appeared.

"Wha-?"

"Sorry Valeria...you weren't the only one who wasn't going to run." Leorio swung a twig.

"Leorio!" Valeria shouted. "Stop! You'll get hurt!"

Ignoring Valeria's warning, Leorio swung his stick but missed. Hisoka was going attack but he got hit in the face by a fishing rod.

Valeria's faced paled and her dead fish eyes lost even more slack. "Why are all the idiots coming back? They are all so stupid. Ah…they're gonna have short lives. Oh! Migraine. Oh I see it. Those lil idiots are going to die early."

"Gon!" Leorio shouted in surprise.

"Not bad little boy. A fishing rod? Interesting weapon...can I see it?" Hisoka approached. Leorio tried to attack once more but was knocked out by Hisoka. Gon used this chance to hit Hisoka but Hisoka disappeared and reappeared again to wrap his hand around Gon's neck.

"Did you come to help your friend?" Hisoka licked his lips in the creepiest way Valeria has ever seen. "What a good boy-" He was cut off by Valeria who grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand away. Both could hear tiny cracks in his wrist from Valeria's "light" yank.

"Oi," Valeria's face looked like a disgusted dead fish eyed gorilla, which many of you should try to visualize. Her face is just that of a masterpiece. "Don't fucking touch him with your perverted and creepy smile. For Lavine's sake...this isn't a place for you to hit on children and be a pedophile." Valeria picked her nose with her other hand and flung a booger into Hisoka's hair. She grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground. "And this is for punching Leorio. Ain't no one bullying him other than me, okay? Actually...I'm fine with Kurapika bullying him."

She lets go and Hisoka slowly got up. He had a swollen right cheek and his bleeding nose didn't seem to get any better. His lips were now chipped but he merely smiled and wiped his blood away.

"Haha normally, I would'be killed you but since you've passed and you have potential...I'll let you go." Hisoka looked at Gon. "Okay! You pass too! Become a good hunter."

Hisoka took a speaker since it was beeping. A vonce rang out. "Hisoka you should come back now. I think we're about to reach the second exam site."

Hisoka nodded. "Okay I'll be right there." He picks up the unconscious Leorio. "Are you able to make it back yourself?"

Gon nodded and Valeria spat on the ground. Hisoka smiled and walked away in approval.

"Gon! Valeria! What happened?" Kurapika ran up to them.

"Pedophilia." Valeria crouched and ruffled her hair.

"W-what?" Kurapika looked confused.

Valeria didn't bother explaining and took out a lollipop from her bag before unwrapping it. She got up and placed the lollipop in her mouth.

"Why do I have to do so much work? I just want to lie down and talk with the plants."

"...Constantly in the danger of being eaten?" Kurapika asked, smiling and relaxing a bit.

"They won't eat me." Valeria sighed.

Kurapika laughed.

"What?"

"You sure are confident Valeria! A lot of people would wish for your personality."

"You think so? Then why does Papa always tie me up and hang me upside down from a tree when I talk back…" Valeria asked.

Gon joined Kurapika in laughter. "Valeria...you never seem to feel the tension and you have a sharp tongue. Maybe that's why your dad must have punished you. Maybe he has a short temper like Leorio and they both cannot handle your cheeky wits."

Valeria sighed and the group began to run, in hope of joining back with the examiner. "Give me a break. Everyone in my clan is so intense and their bad temper makes the chief pay an additional fee every month for repairments.I just want to relax."

Gon and Kurapika exchanged smiles before raising their hands. "It's okay, Valeria…" Gon grinned.

"You have us to be relaxed around." Kurapika finished.

Valeria smiled the brightest smile a dead fish eyed gorilla could ever do and high fived them both. "Sorry...but I don't think I can. I have three idiots to take care of."

"Four." Gon corrected her.

"What? I'm pretty sure it's three...I know I've always been cruddy at school but-"

"Killua is our new friend."

"Oh. That kid." Silence filled the air. "But more importantly...I think my math is pretty good."

Kurapika chuckles, hopelessly. "More importantly, she says. In the middle of nowhere, in constant danger, she thinks her math skills are more important."


	6. Chapter 6: Don't Cook if You Can't

After reuniting and entering the second exam, Valeria repeated the words: "Cooking."

"Crap! I haven't cooked before!" Leorio cursed. The others wore a similar expression except for Valeria. She maintained her lazy look and Kurapika glanced at her.

"Can you cook, Valeria?" Kurapika asked. Valeria was about to respond before Leorio cut her off.

"Kurapika…don't have anymore expectations of her. She's not a normal girl...she's a gorilla! Gorilla's don't cook!" Leorio hissed. Unamused, Valeria "lightly" slapped his left cheek, the one that wasn't swollen, causing it to swell up and finally make his face a swollen symmetrical mess and making Leorio to fall back.

Valeria spat on the ground and gave him a dead, "fuck you" look before answering: "Don't call me Gorilla, boi. For your information, cooking is in the subcategory of researching plants."

She looked at Kurapika. "I'm fine with cooking up plants and making spices and sauce with them...but cooking animals is a completely different thing. I just tie them up by the legs and hang them over a fire and roast them."

All four boys turned to her with the same thoughts: Why does it seem like Valeria grew up in a tribe of cavemen?

Luckily for Valeria, the first part of the exame is roasting pigs.

"My menu is….whole-roasted pig. It's my favourite. As long as the pig resides in the forest, any type will do. Now...second exam starts!" Buhara ordered.

Valeria and the others began running and the group were delighted to know that it was such a simple dish.

Valeria mustered up a smirk and murmured: "Hell yah, bitches." The air around her became dark and her smirk, resembled a physcopathic murderer once again. The group of friends assumed it was because Valeria didn't know how to smile properly.

"Valeria…stop. You're giving everyone the chills." Killua was shuddering as he told Valeria.

"I think it's unwise to tell her what to do-" Leorio was cut off as Valeria patted Killua's head. Killua could only see partially of her face and that was the gentle smile on her lips. She held a thumbs up and Killua slightly turned pink from this sibling like affection, only to be frozen stiff with horror the moment he saw Valeria's entire face.

She was grinning, sure, and it seemed normal, but the air around her was filled with bloodlust and it was oozing out uncontrollably. She ran ahead of the group and her shouting could be heard by the group: "All you Lavine bastards stand back and watch your favourite gorilla get her licsense!"

The four boys who were left behind had their jaws dropped open in shock for multiple reasons.

"That's going to be the most excited Valeria I will ever see!" Kurapika burst out laughing.

"That's going to be the most TRAUMATIZING thing I have ever seen." KIllua shuddered, with a tear hanging in the corner of his left eye. He rubbed his arms for comfort, but there was no luck.

Valeria was ecstatic for mainly a different reason though. She hadn't got the chance to fully accept the plants around her so she took a deep breath in and returned to her normal, dead look. With a slightly pleasant grin on her face. This was the type of exam she likes. Plants everywhere! Green everywhere! Different smells everywhere! Paradise!

However the smile dropped as her peace was disturbed by The Great Stamp. The pigs turned their attention to the lone girl who was TRYING to find peace in the plants. The pigs, hoofed the ground before attempting to headbutt her.

Valeria raised a hand, stopping the pig directly in front of her. "This is why I like plant's better than animals. Haven't your mama taught your to greet your visitors nicely?" She flicked the pig in the forehead. Instant KO.

The other pigs glanced at her before charging forward once more, only leaving a space around her...or more specifically, a path for her to walk through. That was it, the Great Stamp recongized her as Queen.

Valeria lightly slung the dead pig's body of her shoulder while she began to chew a gum. She came face to face with one of the examinees who jumped out and was planning on hitting a pig. He look baffled to see a petite girl, blowing a bubble with her gum and having a pig larger than her easily tossed over her shoulders like a sack of rice.

Valeria slapped him on the face, causing him to fly into another pig, who got up and carried it's prey away. The pigs stopped once more and stared at Valeria. One of the pigs went under Valeria, lifting her up. And now, she had gotten herself free transportation. Fuck, now they have begun to worship her.

The imagery was totally bizarre and even her new friends, knowing that unusual things happen around her, was taken aback with shock. A stampede of ferocious pigs, with one carrying a petite girl, who was sitting cross legged and had gum in her mouth, carrying another pig on her shoulder.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Leorio shouteded. "We're struggling to kill and evade the pigs only to see the wild gorilla who ran away to be worshipped."

Valeria jumped off and fist bumped Gon and Killua, even though the kids were unsure of why they instinctively fist bumped her.

"How did you manage to kill them?" Killua asked.

"Flicking them in the forehead." Valeria shrugged. Killua opened his mouth and closed it again. He glanced at Leorio's not-yet-healed face and decided the reason was because she's Valeria. She has brute strength and is the gorilla of the jungle.

"Okay." He nodded and looked to the side. Crap, now I have to find a different way, he thought to himself.

"I did it! You were right, Valeria! Their forehead is their weakness!" Gon smiled brightly Valeria patted his head in approval. The group stared at him. So their forehead was weak regardless how strong the attacker was? Well god, how wrong Killua was.

"Good. You've become strong. Now we have to throw you off the cliff and you have to survive for a month by yourself in the wild and-" Valeria spoke out like a wise old sage but was cut off by Leorio.

"NO! Stop! You can't do that!" Leorio shouted while swatting his suitcase at a nearby pig.

Valeria blinked and cocked her head. "Why? I did that when I was five."

"Y-you're crazy!" Leorio spluttered.

"Papa told me the weak should rot in a hole and die when he threw me off the cliff."

"What's with your messed up family?"

Valeria shrugged as she now congratulated Killua and Kurapika on their capture of dead pigs. She quickly glanced at Leorio and looked away with a smirk before picking her nose. Irritated and angered, Leorio raised his voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leorio demanded.

"Nothing! It's just that some of us are waiting for a certain someone to finish his hunting." Valeria flung her booger in a direction and seconds later, a small part of the tree had a hole and smoke was coming out of it. Valeria cursed and muttered something that was supposed to be a "missed".

Paling in horror, Leorio resumed to his attempts of defeating the monster and was finally successful after a while. Valeria began to start a fire and roasted her pig while the others did the same.

Kurapika crouched down next to her, along with Killua. When they haven't said anything she asked: "What do you want?"

"How did you become strong?" They both asked at the same time. It seemed natural that these two characters would want to know the key to power and strength.

Valeria blinked and merely replied: "I got thrown off a cliff, thrown into a fight-to-death arena, thrown into the mountains for a month, thrown into the ocean, thrown into-" She was stopped by Kurapika and Killua as they raised their hands.

"Your dad...doesn't seem to have a parental instinct." Kurapika sweatdropped.

"It's not that he doesn't have one...it's more like that method IS the usual parental instinct. Why? Are your parents different?" Valeria asked both of them merely out of curiosity.

"Different..you ask. My parents doted on me...in fact everyone cared about everyone's well-being and looked out for one another. If I was injured, my parent's would be heartbroken." Kurapika hummed sadly.

"My parents...they dote on me for sure because I'm the favourite," Killua began. "But they make me go through harsh training. However they still spoil me."

"That's weird." Valeria tilted her head. But a small smile crawled onto her face, despite having that lazy glint in her eyes like she always do. In fact, perhaps it's because of the lazy glint in her eyes, it made her smile seem a bit softer. "But I wouldn't mind having a family like that."

Kurapika and Killua's face reddened at the unfamiliar but soft on the eyes look that Valeria never managed to do. She returned to her dead attitude and stood up. She singlehandedly, once again, slung the now roasted pig on her back. She looked down at them with an arched eyebrow.

"You two alright? I think yer faces are getting red from being near the fire for too long." Valeria yawned and the two immediately stood up and grabbed their own pig. The group began to run back to the location of the second exam and presented their pigs. When the examiner finished eating all 71 of the pigs, to Kurapika's horror, he announced that 71 of the contestants have passed.

"Amazing…" Killua and Gon mused in awe.

"I'm not like Buhara...I am really strict. So for the second half of the second exam, my menu will be sushi!" Menchi grinned.

Puzzled, Valeria and her group of friends looked at each other with puzzlement. She beat them to an anxious question they shared. "What the fuck is sushi?"

They all looked at the area where they were supposed to cook. Valeria lifted up the wooden box and peered inside. "Rice?" Valeria looked utterly confused. She saw the weapons beside her and sighed. She has to look for ingredients? That's a pain.

Valeria walked up to Leorio and Kurapika to see if the two teens had any idea what a "sushi" was.

"...There is a dish where you add vinegar and spices to the rice and then you add fresh fish meat. I think." Kurapika whispered to the two.

"Fish?! Do you realize we're in a forest?!" Leorio shouted

Kurapika threw his spoon at Leorio and Valeria kneed him in the stomach.

"Lower your goddamn voice!" They both shouted. However, it was too late, everyone ran out to the lake for the fish. Valeria, Leorio and Kurapika began to run too for God's sake.

"Dammit, can't believe those cheaters were eavesdropping!" Leorio cursed.

Valeria and Kurapika shared an irritated look and followed him. When they approached a lake, Valeria took off her white cardigan and looked back at the two.

"Can you guys properly catch fish?" She asked as she took of her shoes.

"Of course!" Leorio gritted his teeth.

"You're going swimming?" Kurapika chuckled. As expected from the girl who does everything with her own hands.

Valeria nodded and jumped into the water. She swam swiftly and looked around for a meaty, not so ugly fish. But the fish that caught her eye, swam away quickly and speedily.

Valeria sighed inwardly and just used her hand to grab the nearby large fish and heaved herself up. There's no way she's chasing a fish and wasting her energy. She picked her ear with her free pinky and walked back to where Kurapika and Leorio was. She slipped into her flats and tied her cardigan around her waist.

"I'm going back first." She waved at the two with dripping hands. She walked away and the two stared at the retreating, soaked figure.

"There's no way she's a girl." Leorio muttered.

As Valeria waddled back to the second exam site, she looked around for any plants that may provide good flavour to the "sushi". She bent down and examined a chartreuse green plant with a dark and leafy tip.

She picked it up and bit a small part of the leaf(Do not try this at home kids) and mused: "Not bad. Spicy and a little bit of salty sweet taste like the Choy Sauce* at home.

She plucked several of the plants and stuffed it into the fish's mouth and walked back, ruffling her wet hair. She placed the fish down and held the knives upright. She then proceeded to cut and attack the poor fish. Blood spluttered across her face and her surrounding examinees stop cooking and stared at her in horror, in fear. They were obviously scared by this poor performance of cooking. Even Menchi looked like she was going to lose her appetite.

Valeria then proceeded to grind the plant she found and this was approximately when Leorio and Kurapika returned. Both of them stared at her in shock as she waved at them, with a bloody knife in her bloody hands and a dead look on her bloody face. "Yo." She replied.

Shaking, Kurapika and Leorio approached her while Kurapika handed her his extra towel, which no one knows why he has it. Valeria nods in thanks and wipes her face with it.

Everyone continued to cook and Valeria stuffed fish in the rice along with the grinned plant. She wrapped it up and sprinkled the plant over it. She cutted it in small slices, not because she knew what sushi looke like, but because she was hungry and she wanted to taste test a slice.

Somewhat satisfied with what she made she placed it on the plate and gave it to Menchi as the final contestant. Menchi stared at it then at the previous bloody girl. She shivered and shakingly lifted a piece and ate it. Immediately brightening up, Mench smiled. "The taste is excellent! Far better than all of those from before. I guess the secret tot the taste is this mystery sprinkled object." Then she frowned. "But you still failed."

Valeria blinked. "What?"

"They way you cook is to grotesque, the appearance is really sloppy, the stuffing keeps sliding out which makes me really frustrated when I try to eat it and," Menchi spat out thee rice which stilled retained its shape only to be covered in saliva and next to it, Menchi had spat. Out something sparkly white. Part of her teeth. "How the fuck did you make this? If I were an ordinary person, my entire teeth set would have been broken." She glowered.

Valeria took one of the slices, the one furthest from Menchi's saliva she chewed on it. Everyone could hear a large crunching sound in her mouth before Valeria swallowed it. She picked up the toothpick on Menchi's table and picked her teeth with it.

"Suck it up examiner. You need to taste the wild and the strong before you fight'em." Valeria tossed the toothpick onto the plate.

Menchi's face was really pale at first because Valeria ate the "sushi" with ease and with her teeth still remaining perfect. She then turned red with anger and embarrassment and she yelled out loud. "Okay! I"m full! No one passes!"

Valeria sighed and muttered as she walked away from Menchi: "People these days don't know what to appreciate."

As Menchi and another dissatisfied examinee argues it out, Valeria's group of friends crowded around her.

"You just made another lethally weapon." Killua and Leorio spluttered.

"What do you mean? It was perfectly edible." Valeria yawned. "Well I can't just leave without my hunter's license. Otherwise I'm going to hide for a year, lying I got my license then take the exame next year and then go home."

The group stared at the irritated examiner before a blimp with the symbole of the Hunter association flew overhead and an old man jumped down.

"Chairman Netero…"Menchi greeted him

"Chairman?" The group repeated.

"You seemed to find their spirit of challenging the unknown and the result of complete disqualification is because of their attitude?"

"No…I apologize. I tend to lose control of myself when it comes to cooking. I'm a failure as an examiner. I will resign as an examiner so please disregard the result of this test." Menchi lowered her head.

"How about we do this? We continue the exam however, we will choose a new test in which you first demonstrate personally before we begin. How about it?" The chairman asked.

"I see then boiled eggs." Menchi grinned. "Can you take us to the mountain over their?" Menchi pointed.

"Of course." The chairman grinned. The 70 examinees and the examiners all boarded the blimp to reach their destination.

"To make this clear...I'm not fond of eggs." Valeria spoke up as the group got off the blimp. She recongized those eggs anywhere as she looked down. She's read about them. She's been threatened to be thrown down there.

Gon looked at her. "I didn't think you were a picky eater."

"I'm not. But I, excuse my language, fucking hate spiders." Valeria peered over in disgust. She watched Menchi dive down to grab one of the eggs and carry it back up.

When Menchi climbed up, Valeria asked if there were any spiders down there. As soon as Menchi said no, Valeria jumped down with her friends to grab an egg.

She gritted her teeth as she climbed up. "Papa is gonna pay for saying there are NESTS of spiders, waiting for someone to touch the egg."

"They're spider EAGLES….not just spiders." Kurapika sighed in exasperation. They placed their eggs in a boiled pot, waiting to taste it.

As soon as it was done, Valeria bit into it then swallowed it whole. "Not bad." She managed to say with a full mouth. She was being to modest, she was craving more. She was starving. However, all of her thoughts on food vanished the moment Killua approached her with a cat face.

"So you don't like spiders?"

"Fuck." Valeria decided to, instead of avoiding him, she'll blackmail him. She grabbed Killua by the collar with a desperate, insane look in her usual dead fish eyes and muttered: "If you bring a spider near me, you're going to be flattened along with it."

She lets go and returned to her neutral look. She puts on her cardigan because she was almost completely dry and spat on the floor. Now it was Killua's turn to be scared.

 **AN: *Have you guys ever heard of soy sauce? (Though I'm pretty sure most of you have) I kind of made a parody of it so it's the Hunter x Hunter's own version of soy sauce. Unless there's already Choy sauce. I'm sorry I had too much time on my hands LOL**


	7. Chapter 7: Valeria 20

"It might be time for the remaining 43 remaining contestants to know who I am. My name is Netero and I'm responsible for the trials and I'm member of the organization committee . I wasn't supposed to show myself until the final phase but...it just happened." He scanned the crowd, where most of the examinees were tired. Gon and Killua seemed to still be as lively as ever because of youth, and Valeria grumbled something underneath her breath. Probably directed at himself.

"I understand your anxiety but I believe it's a good thing. So if you'll allow me among you for the time being…" He gave a hearty laugh, much similar to what one would believe how Santa Claus will laugh.

"We should arrive tomorrow around 8 at the next trial ground. We are waiting for them to contact us. You are free to do whatever until we arrive." The bean like character pointed at the clock.

Gon and Killua immediately darted off with energy, to explore the ship. Meanwhile, the three older companions weren't that energetic. Leorio and Kurapika were struggling to keep their eyes open while Valeria grumbled something that sounded like: "I want to shower and change."

Then the group sees the Chairman waddling towards them and he was about to say something when Valeria directed her kick at him out of nowhere.

"I don't know, you old geezer!" Valeria attempted to kick Netero but he immediately dodged with that hearty laugh of his that irritated Valeria. Valeria's dead face didn't change except there was a small vein throbbing on the side of her face, visible to everyone and saying that she was irritated.

"V-Valeria? Chairman Netero didn't say a thing yet….are you tired too?" Kurapika stammered as he attempted to calm his friend. Valeria was still damp from her swimming and she wanted to take a shower and sleep. She didn't like the feeling of her clothes clinging onto her and she especially didn't like the old man who was trying to talk to her. Because she knows what he was going to say.

"Hohoho! It's been awhile Li Feng ! Or should I say Valeria? How's your brother, Wen Dao? And is Hong Shi still hunting for stronger people?" The Chairman stroked his beard. His returned answer was a hole in the wall, showing that it was not a topic Valeria wanted to talk about.

"Go fuck yourself." Valeria flipped her middle finger at him and her dead eyes were now shooting daggers.

Leorio and Kurapika inhaled sharply.

"W-what's with those names? Leafy? Window? Horse? Do you understand a single thing?" Leorio stammered.

"It's probably the Lavine's culture. Also...I think Valeria snapped. I don't see a single trace of a dead fish eyed gorilla anywhere. Maybe just in the strength."

The chairman merely chuckled and waved his right hand. "Don't be such a prick. I'm sorry I called you by your real name...I'll stop now. But speaking from old acquaintanceship...how is your younger brother? And how is Hong Shi?"

"My brother's fine. He's already killed his first group of bandits." Valeria replied coldly. "And I don't know where Shion, that bastard, went. I haven't seen him in three years."

"You might be seeing him soon."

"I'd rather not. By the way...are there showers here?" Valeria reverted to normal. Both Leorio and Kurapika made a mental note not to mention anything of those names while the Chairman gave her instructions.

Valeria yawned and picked her ear as she muttered a: "let's go" to her friends. Kurapika quickly glanced at the clock as they walked by and asked: "How many tests are left?"

"It changes from year to year." Tonpa approached them. "But usually there are 5 to 6 tests."

"So there are still 3 - 4 more…"

"We better use this opportunity to rest." Kurapika murmured. Valeria nodded in agreement. She stared at the bag she was carrying and grimaced. She wanted to change already.

"I advise you to stay vigilant. There might be a possibility that something will happen before 8 tomorrow." Tonpa grinned then walked away. Valeria sighed and looked at her friends.

"I'm going to shower and change. Meet up at the dining hall later?"

"Sure."

They went their separate ways and Valeria wandered into the women's bathroom. She arched an eyebrow at how there was a large area just for bathing...with hot tubs and a sauna like air. There was no one there and Valeria sighed in relief as she began to take off her clothes and tossed everything onto the ledge of a bath. She sank into the water and untied her hair, letting it float on the surface of the water.

She looked down and was glad that no one was here to stare at her tattoos. The side of her upper thigh, had a Che'ang character that meant "Tiger". On her back should be an image of a tiger with lotus flowers around it. Valeria sighed and got back up. She didn't have time to dwadle around, thinking about the meaning of life. There were a freshly cleaned towels folded neatly on wooden shelves and Valeria decided to dry herself with those. She then walked over to her bag, pulling out all of her clothes and changed.

Meanwhile, Leorio and Kurapika found the location of the dining room and were waiting outside. Leorio's stomach growled loudly and he groaned. "Ugh, when is the gorilla going to come?!"

"Valeria's a girl too. Girls tend to prepare longer." Kurapika chuckled.

"You're too nice Kurapika! Why are you always taking her side? Fight against her with me!"

"I'd rather not get an evenly symmetrical swollen face, broken bones, and broken pride. You're just lacking delicacy." Kurapika sighed.

"Delicacy? Why do I need delicacy to approach a gori...lla? Who the hell is that?" Leorio pointed. Kurapika gave him a funny look before turning and also looked surprised. Valeria walked over to them with a silky white cheongsam, which faded to a lighter shade of teal than her bright teal eyes. On the bottom of it were patterns of pale pink lotus flowers. The cheongsam hugged around her until her hips where it separated to two flowing fabrics, one in the front and one in the back. It still retained it's shape as a cheongsam...but it gave more freedom of movement and Valeria was wearing white shorts underneath. Her hair was tied into two twin tails with matching teal ribbons and she would have have looked like an entirely upgraded person. If she didn't wear that dead expression and was yawning.

"Yo." She waved at them casually. Leorio began to circle around her until he grabbed her shoulders and shouted in her face: "What have you done to Valeria?!"

"What have I done to myself? I've been reborn, Luigi." Valeria brushed off his arms as she entered the dining room, leaving Leorio and Kurapika with their mouths open. She decided to humour him for a bit as she examined the wide variety of food.

"S-she's that female gorilla right?"

Kurapika coughed and followed her in, before replying: "If she has that dead look, of course." Both him and Valeria began to fill their plates with the freshly cooked food as Leorio blinked before following them.

"You can't fool me, Kurta boy...I know that you're just as suspicious as I am."

The three sat down and began eating. Of course, there was never a moment of silence among them.

"You guys don't believe in Tonpa, right?" Valeria asked as she forked her steak.

"Of course not, Valeria 2.0…"Leorio swallowed his potatoes. "I'm just going to sleep, no matter what!"

"Good plan...wait. 2.0?" Valeria arched an eyebrow as she drank her miso soup in one gulp.

"Yah...it's like you've upgraded into a whole new identity." Leorio pointed.

"It's actually Valeria 1.0. The 'me' you've met before is 2.0" Valeria finished her meal already.

"So all of this time...you're not the original Valeria we've met?" The pretty, blonde Kurta boy was carefully and elegantly cutting his steak with his knive.

"Pretty much. I mean I think personality wise...I'm the same. But everything else is different."

"What? Even your name?" Leorio replied sarcastically as he finished his water and sighed, from being stuffed.

"Yup." Valeria leaned back and watched Kurapika now, slowly move onto his vegetables.

"Wait what?" Leorio stopped dabbing his mouth with his napkin to look at Valeria as if she was an alien.

"Haven't you heard her conversation with the Chairman? She has a different...name…" Kurapika stopped talking and his eyes widened. He immediately looked at Leorio turned his head, avoiding his eyes. Kurapika accidentally brought up something Valeria didn't want to care.

Surprisingly, Valeria didn't seem bothered at all, other than snapping the metal fork in her hands in half. "You're right. Valeria is just a name that I use, outside of my clan. Otherwise it's too hard for the ossan-looking-teenager to remember my name." They got up and left the dining room.

"Why you-"

The group found the resting quarters and wandered in. Several contestants were already sleeping away. Valeria looked around and picked up a brown blanket that was folded neatly in one of the cupboards. Turning to her companions she motioned them to come over.

"Let's sleep." Valeria sat down and patted the ground beside her. The boys looked slightly flustered before Kurapika crouched down and smiled. "I don't think it's proper for a girl to-"

"I'm a gorilla and I'm a hunter. We're friends right?" Valeria pulled Kurapika down, making him sit right next to her. She tossed the blanket over him and motioned Leorio to sit down too. Leorio scoffed but obediently wandered over to the other side of Valeria when she gave him the death glare. The three, soon enough, fell asleep and sharing a blanket. If they weren't hunters, one would think they are a cute group of friends who have been tired out from a day's trip. It wasn't exactly an inaccurate description though.

As the group fell into a deep slumber, morning came really fast and they were woken up by a large announcement: "Ladies and gentleman! We have reached your next exam site!" Kurapika and Leorio jumped up, in response, whereas Valeria was still sleeping. Kurapika and Leorio laughed a little and Kurapika gently shook her.

Valeria's eyes reluctantly opened and she grumbled something, before shutting her eyes closed. Leorio sighed and nudged her legs, shouting: "Wake up Gorilla!"

Valeria's bloodshot eyes flung open and she instinctively slapped the air on her right but she ended up leaving the silhouette of her hand on the wall. "I'M UP YOU MOTHERFUCKING CLOCK!"

Blinking in confusion because there was no clock on the right, she looked around to see a pale and frightened Leorio and an amused, chuckling Kurapika. "You're not at home, Valeria." Kurapika offered his hand to help pull the girl up.

"Morning Kurapika...Leorio…are we there already?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes. The three walked through the hallways and left the blimp. By then, Valeria was fully awake as she stepped onto a circular platform with nothing.

"By the way...what's up with him?" Valeria asked Kurapika as she pointed at a really slow Leorio. He was repetitively repeating: "That could have been me...that could have been me.."

"Oh that. Haha when you woke up, you immediately slapped something on your right, which I assume would normally be your alarm clock. Leorio was sleeping there last night so he's been saying that he could have died, had he not leapt up." Kurapika sweatdropped.

"Ah…" Valeria looked away, slightly sheepish at her actions. Leorio reverted to his normal self and stormed up to her, shouting: "What do you mean 'ah'? I've been traumatized."

Valeria looked away from his angry glare as she picked her ear, not really listening to him rant. She yawned and replied: "Yes yes, Luigi…I'm sorry but everyone has a time where they press that 'snooze'button on their clock."

"Snooze button? You were going to send it to sleep pernamently! Not snooze it!"

"Calm down, Leorio...you weren't so you're alright!" Valeria attempted a very light pat on his back. It worked although Leorio looked at her warily. Kurapika was just laughing on the side. The three immediately stopped talking when the bean like character spoke up.

"You are here at the 'Shrewdness Tower'. This is where the third trial round shall take place! Concerning the trial itself, here are the jury's orders: "Within a 72 hour time period...you'll need to get to the bottom of this tower alive." The bean then boardered the blimp and the blimp began to fly away, offering a "Good luck".

"Haha you losers can wait here all you want. A mountain climber with an iron grip like me, will find descending this tower as an easy game." He began climbing down. Kurapika, Valeria, and Leorio watched the muscular man climb down.

"Ah look...the so called winner is going to get eaten." Valeria pointed at a flock of birds as they began to beck, tore, and eat away at the climber.

"I don't think going down the wall is a good idea." Leorio gulped. Kurapika looked back at the surface with narrowed eyes. "There must be a trapdoor that would lead us inside."

Valeria walked forward and the two stared at her curiously. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her head, cracks were heard from her neck. She then began stretching and the boys were starting to have a bad feeling.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I think it's faster if I just punch every tile here then find a way through." Valeria raised her fist and immediately, Kurapika and Leorio ran towards her, telling her to stop.

"We can't have everyone know the trapdoors or locations!" Leorio hissed.

Valeria sighed in disappointment and reluctantly put away her first. After wandering for a while, the three heard their names being called out. "Leorio! Valeria! Kurapika!" Gon waved at them.

"There are five trapdoors here. Gon and I have already decided to pass through one of these 5 doors. THere's five of us...so if there's a trap, not regrets." Killua stuffed his hand in his pockets

"And you? What are you gonna do?" Gon asked.

"Passing through." Valeria spoke up first. The other two grinned and nodded.

"On the count of three, we all go at the same time. 3...2.." They all smiled at each other. Valeria was about to go on her tile but TONPA was kneeling beside it, knocking on it. He nodded and smiled, pretending he just discovered his trapdoor. "1."He smirked at Valeria when all of them had disappeared, then he jumped down himself. Valeria tapped the trapdoor with an irritated look crossing her dead face.

The four boys and Tonpa gathered in the same room…though they we're a little surprised out how they all were in the same room. But they were now worried for a little brunette girl...who was gotten the better of.

"Why is Tonpa here instead of Valeria?" Killua's eyes widened.

"Yo!" Tonpa waved and grinned.

"He snuck up on us at the last second and stole Valeria's tile." Gon slightly sweatdropped.

Tonpa smiled good naturedly, pretending not to hear. "Haha just my luck! I was tapping along when I heard a trapdoor. I'm sorry your friend seemed to notice it too but the faster one is the-?!?!" A hand blasted from the door above him as it grabbed Tonpa's head. It forced Tonpa to look up into the bloodshot eyes of Valeria as he was now lifting off the air.

"You think you got the better of me?" Valeria smiled her physcopathic smile.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tonpa squeaked. Valeria lets go and leapt down, landing on top of his back. She stepped off and shook her head a little, attempting to get the dust off of her hair when she had broken through the trapdoor.

All four boys stared at her before they began laughing. By now...they really should have gotten used to the girl's odd and scary antics. So now, they just decided to laugh. Confused, Valeria was about to say something when a wall behind them, flipped around and robotic arms stretched out, grabbing Valeria and tying her to the wall. Then the wall flipped once more and Valeria was gone, just as fast as she came.

"VALERIA?!" They shouted.

"I'm okay." Was the calm response they received. The boys sighed in relief and was laughing.

"I bet right now, she's picking her nose and beating the crap of whatever's on the other side." Killua mused and the others nodded in agreement.

He was pretty accurate. Valeri easily pulled herself out of the literal "iron grip" of the iron robotic hands and was picking her nose. She broke of the arms and waved it in the air, slightly interested about it. But when they limped the moment she pulled it off, she tossed it onto the black screen in front of her and it flickered to life.

"Well well...I hadn't expect to bring a contestant to one of the 5 Special Passages this early." A man with thin eyes and large circular glasses appeared.

"What? Five special sausages?' Valeria wasn't really listening as she yawned.

"PASSAGE! FIVE SPECIAL PASSAGES!" The man shouted.

"No need to scream buddy." Valeria looked at him with dead eyes as she covered her ears.

"Humph. The special passages are for certain people who found another way to enter the building...and may interfere with other contestants' trials. Unfortunately...your friends are in the Majority Trial and cannot have an even number of people. But don't worry...your Trial is the similar to everyone else's. It's only special because you've entered a special way. So what do you think of my special iron robotic arms?"

"Huh these?" Valeria picked up the wimpy looking arms that she ripped off. "They're lame. There's nothing special here other than these?" Valeria scoffed as she tossed them away.

The man in the screen shrieked and began to tear up. Those iron robotic arms were supposed to hold down even the buffest man. Perhaps he just haven't taken in account that a Lavine would be stopping by.

"Anyways...your're trial is the physical endurance and strength test." He sniffed. "You just need to walk forward and pass through all of the obstacles within the next seventy one hours!" A gate opened and Valeria peered inside. She grabbed the two robotic arms and tossed one inside.

"What do you think you're doing…" The man asked. Valeria looked back with a bored look. "Testing for traps.

She walked in, leaving an irritated jury shrieking and ranting. Valeria stepped on a cobblestone and daggers shout of god knows where. She immediately pulled out the iron rod hanging from her hips and extended it. She began swinging it around, deflecting the knives with an unamused look. When she finished, the radius around her was clear but everywhere else were random knives lodged and chipped on the ground. She sighed. THis is going to be one cliched trial.

Valeria examined the martial arts weapon, unique to her culture and ruffled her hair. "Looks like I need to use you for this round, buddy."

Valeria began whistling and twirling the iron staff and kicked an incoming boulder that was rolling towards her. It shattered to pieces only to reveal laser beams behind it. She stopped whistling and shrunk the iron staff and hung it by her hips.

"I'm not training to be a world class thief for god's sake." The brunette muttered as she ducked the first laser beam and twisted over another. She placed her palms first and did a handstand. She spread her legs into a split and under up doing a flip over the next one. Wincing at the aching in her back, she slowly made her way out of the lasers and was now kneeling over on the ground.

"Thank God Mama pushed me all the way down when I couldn't do splits. Otherwise I'd be a failure of a woman in my clan." Valeria huffed. The Lavine clan had standards of women being gracefully flexible and Valeria was one of the least flexible female in her clan.

Cursing as she went through the path, she reached a room where there was a vest with the label 20kg on it. She looked around and there were gloves, helmet, and chains meant to be wrapped around the ankles. They were all labelled 20kg. Valeria smirked inwardly. The exam was meant to be challenging but not impossible for everyone. The jury's probably thought she would have slight difficulties wearing 20kg items but Valeria finds it as light as her own clothes. She easily tossed them on and read the instructions on the screen in front: "Use the monkey bars across the lake of alligators while wearing your weighted clothes."

Valeria entered the passage and noticed how far off the lake was. She hummed to herself and thought: "Well now they're getting serious. It would be difficult to climb back up if one was to fall down. Not to mention that these items will prove a difficult time of even getting out of the water."

Valeria grabbed one of the handles and began to swing across. She ignored the supposingly intimidating alligators that were snapping their large mouths...hope to feed on the petite girl. Slightly annoyed by their repetitive snapping of their mouths, when she reached the other side and the instructions said she may take the weights off. She flung the items into the lake and heard a whimpering from one of the alligators.

Valeria proceeded through the eery tunnel until she approached a wide and vast area. There was a platform in the middle and there were five cloaked figures with chains wrapped tightly around their wrists. They were all larger than her except for one that seemed to be thinner and smaller. The screen on her right lit up and the instructions filled the screen: "To pass this obstacle, you must earn three wins by defeating the prisoners. The rules of combat can be decided and the contestant will choose the rules."

The screen went black and Valeria shrugged at the criminals. "Well there you have it."

"I propose a fight to death." The biggest man of the group demanded.

"Oi, oi...calm your balls...if she dies immediately we won't have our fun." Another prisoner snickered. He had a high, dry voice that sounded like he was having a hard time breathing.

"Why not just fight if one of us surrenders or the other one is knocked out." Valeria pointed out. All of the prisoners huddled up and whispered, before turning around and agreeing.

Valeria sighed in exasperation. This is going to be one long-ass trial.


	8. Chapter 8: Is it Magic?

"So...who's first?" Valeria asked as she spat on the ground, walking towards the center platform. She rubbed her wrists and stretched her back as she looked at them with disinterest and a "I wish I can sleep right now" face. Which irritated the prisoners to no end.

"I am!" The biggest man who had proposed a death match earlier, shouted. He ripped off his cloak and his hand cuffs clicked open. He had gray strand soft hair in his thick and long beard and voluminous hair. The man had scars cut all over him but what would be the most intimidating feature would be the scar on his left eye, which was blind and closed.

"Ouch man. I suggest you surrender before you lose something else other than your sight." Valeria stretched sideways as she pointed at his scar. The man snickered and mocked the girl by towering over her with his large body.

"Try me, little girl. You think you're so great, shrimp? I'm telling you, I killed my first person when I was seventeen! I entered so many bloody battles and-"

" I assume the match is starting." Valeria ignored him as she peered around the large man and looked at the prisoners. A little surprised at her bold and careless attitude when her opponent was right in front of her, they nodded and Valeria immediately grabbed his beard.

"I don't like idle talks...especially with someone who reminds me a lot of Papa." Valeria "lightly" yank his beard and ripped it off, leaving only three or four strands with a bleeding and swollen chin. The girl tossed the beard aside and dusted her hands as she tucked a loose curl behind her ear. She sighed as she watched the large man grip his chin while biting his lip in pain really hard.

"I repeat, surrender buddy. Otherwise your chin won't be the only thing that becomes like that." The man glowered at her and charge at her, while screaming raising his fists. He directed a fast and powerful punch at her face but Valeria sidestepped, grabbing his wrist in a process. As his right hand was trapped, Valeria then delivered a back kick in his jaw, sending him flying back to the wall next to where he came from. Of course, his body was etched deeply into the Wallace his consciousness had left him. The screen flickered to life and had the scores: 0-1"

"I told you...I hate having to deal with people like my Papa." Valeria rubbed her wrist once more as she rotated her left ankle, the side where she delivered her kick. The group of prisoners stared at their largest member in horror before a thin and tiny old man approached Valeria. The girl looked down at the man who seemed confident in himself as he bowed. Surprised by this familiar gesture Valeria did the same before the two began their stance. They circled each other like calculating tigers before the small old man began to run around her at an incredible speed.

"Ho ho...it seems like you're fighting style is rather similar to mine. But…" The speed began to increase as the other three prisoners snickered. One of them spoke up, presumably a woman: "You're done for, little girlie. That old geezer may be tiny...but he studied underneath a Lavine before. Perhaps you've heard of that mysterious clan, famous for their strength and mysteries?"

"Now that's interesting." Valeria shielded herself as the little old man delivered a hard kick towards her face and sent Valeria skidding backwards. The girl stopped herself at the edge of the platform as she anchored her toes into the ground. An insane smile with a crazed and mad look in her eyes lit up her face in amusement as she commented: "Now which loser became crazy enough to teach a geezer? Is this all you've got old man? Tell me…have you ever fought a Lavine before?" Valeria grinned wickedly as she leapt up and directed a punch at him. THe old man managed to dodge the punch in the nick of time and stood on the opposite side of the platform from Valeria. He inhaled sharply as the half of the surface on Valeria's side shattered.

Luckily for him, the punch seemed to shock Valeria into realization as she looked down at her fist with her dead expression. Crap, she let her instincts and disgust show. The girl dusted her hands off as she waved her hand at the old man with a tilt of her head. "Do you still want to continue this?"

The old man began sweating and as a bead of sweat trickled down his chin, he lowered his head and muttered: "I surrender." The score became 0-2. The other prisoners immediately became disgusted with his reluctance and easy surrender as they muttered their discontent to him.

"Hey loser...why'd you surrender just like that?"

"She's a pathetic little girl, oh sorry...you're a pathetic old geezer."

"You don't understand! She knocked out Lewis with one kick and she shattered half of the platform with a punch. She's a Lavine." The old man was sweating and gritting his teeth. Of course he didn't like surrendering and losing the chance to shorten their sentences. But that was better than getting pounded alive by a female gorilla...or a tiger.

"Humph! It's because y'all using brute strength and looking down at her." A woman with short, red hair, twisted a strand of curl around her finger with a scoff. She pulled out a rose from underneath her collar and snapped her fingers. Immediately, two more flowers appeared. "Hey sweetie...do you believe in magic?"

"Are we doing a magic show now?" Valeria watched as the woman descended the stairs to the platform. The redhead smirked as she sniffed the flowers and sighed in a satisfied manner. Her left hand reached out to the side and twisted around before rose petals flew around and gathered. They began to construct themselves into a hat and the woman placed it on her head with flourish. She snapped her fingers and rose petals began to flutter around. "It's showtime."

Valeria crouched down as she looked at all sides warily. Suddenly a kick was delivered to her stomach out of the tornado of flower petals. Valeria was sent flying backwards but she stopped movement by clawing at the floor, leaving a long trail of what looks like claw marks. She was currently surrounded by a thick curtain of fluttering petals and was unable to hear, smell or see her opponent.

"Is this seriously magic?" Valeria dusted of her cheongsam as she stood up. Unknowingly to her, it wasn't magic but rather Nen. Valeria spun around in 90 degrees every so often to make sure she doesn't get attacked again. However there was no suck luck and for the next while, the girl was beaten around blindly.

After several attacks Valeria managed to grab ahold of the woman's leg and slammed her down, with full force. The redhead immediately coughed up blood as she struggled to stare at Valeria who didn't seem to suffer from much injuries other than small cuts caused by the rose's thorns.

"G-give." The woman surrendered as Valeria raised her fist, ready to ruin the woman's face. Valeria lets go as she picked her nose as the screen lit up with the exact words she wanted to see: 3-0...you may pass into the next obstacle of this trial."

Valeria looked down at the redhead who was shivering with a broken arm and then Valeria looked down on her fists, clenching them and then unclenching them. Valeria yawned lazily as she walked up the stairs, past the other prisoners. The five prisoners watched the girl exit lazily with slightly terrified eyes. She was a petite girl but they saw the shadows around her form into the beastly form of a tiger.

Valeria descended the stairs and reached a large wooden door that seemed to have veins of moss attached to it. Arching her eyebrow at why there was suddenly moss in this area, she cautiously pushed the door open only to have her eyes brightened in silent joy. It was a goddamn jungle. Literally. There were plants everywhere, some being the most deadly ones. And currently, the largest and most dangerous plants were staring right at her: Venus Mantrap.

Valeria cracked her knuckles as the Venus Mantraps all started to attack her but Valeria propped their mouths open with her arm as she examined them with extreme interest. This was her paradise. She still has several hours so why not enjoy this jungle to her fullest?

Awhile later…

As Gon and the others barely made it across, Kurapika looked around and the others began to follow suit, all looking for a certain gorilla. To their worry, the group didn't see any trace of her at all.

"30 seconds…" The intercom buzzed just when a door was knocked down and Valeria punched through it with a curse word. The brunette walked out and was panting as she clutched her knees.

"M-made it. Oh my goodness….I completely forgot about the time." Valeria was panting and then she choked. It didn't help that the four boys ran over and crushed her in a hug.

"Valeria! What were you doing?" Leorio shouted.

"We thought you were dead." Killua muttered nonchalantly as Gon laughed sheepishly.

"Was the trial that hard?"

"Pfft dead? I never felt more alive." Valeria patted them all on the head.

"What?" They all stared at her in confusion as they just noticed how Valeria seemed to be practically glowing with that dead fish look on her face. There were branches and leaves in her hair and she didn't smell like her usual tea-like fragrance but she smelled like nature instead.

"I've never met so many exotic plants before, it was so exhilarating! And the Venus Mantraps were absolutely adorable. They're around five meters tall and rather boisterous but they're definitely a brilliant species." Valeria grinned.

"Venus…" Kurapika began.

"Mantraps?" Killua finished.

"What are those?" Leorio and Gon questioned with puzzled looks. Valeria plucked the twigs and leaves out of her hair as Kurapika helped her and answered them. "Yup. They're a species of plants with a rather flat head and razor, sharp teeth. The head is like the shape of a half-moon." Valeria was drawing in the air with finger as she waved it around, attempting to visually describe it to Leorio and Gon.

"The intercom buzzed once more, marking the end of the exam: "Third round, number of participants that reached the goal: 27**, including one dead."

"Yikes. Unlucky for the dead soul." Muttered Valeria to the rest of her group. One of the gates lifted itself up and revealed the outside world with fresh wind and air blowing in and not the damp and suffocating environment they were in.

"Congratulations to those who passed. You now have only two trials left: the fourth and the last. The fourth will be located on Zebiru's island. Now...let's hurry!" A thin man, most likely one of the examiners, clapped his hands and a large man immediately rolled out a trolley with a box on it.

"Are we doing another magic show? " Valeria ruffled her hair and as if the word "magic" was some sort of keyword, Hisoka pulled out a deck of cards from midair and began to shuffle them until they disappeared once more. Seeing this, Valeria groaned in exasperation and Hisoka smiled.

"No, we're doing a lottery. To determine the hunters and the prey. In this box there are 26 cards and you will all draw one." The thin examiner pushed up his glasses and Valeria tapped her chin, thinking. She looked down at her number and her badge glistened in the light. Number 406.

"Well come and pick up your card in the order of reaching the bottom of the tower." The examiner gave a pointed stare at Valeria, who scoffed and picked her nose. She flung her booger at the man and it stuck to his glasses. The examiner casually picked it off with a tissue paper as to prevent a fuss and coughed.

As everyone finally finished picking their cards, Valeria went up. She stuffed her hands into the box and picked up the card. No.119. Valeria began whistling as she quickly scanned crowd with a bored look. Shrugging, the girl went back to her group and fiddled with the card in her hard.

"Now, your personal number and the card you took out are recorded inside this machine…" The examiner cleared his throat. "You are free to do with whatever you want with your card. The number you picked up from the box is your target. If you've succeeded in taking your target's number, you will gain three paints. Your own card is worth three points. By the end of this trial, you need to accumulate 6 points in total. Any other card will only be worth one point."

The group was extremely silent as they began to take their time to process the information. Valeria was the first to break it. She took the tag off of her chest and stuck it in her pocket and muttered: "Well, it looks like it's going to be a killfest."

The four other boys blinked and they followed suit by stuffing their badges inside their pockets or bags. The rest of the participants did so too.

"Don't say it so casually...who knows...maybe everyone will live!" Gon smiled nervously but stayed optimistic.

"Yeah. We have -Homicidal," Valeria pointed at Hisoka who looked at them, or more specifically Valeria, in amusement and her naming sense. " -masochist," Gittaruckur seemed to be triggered by the nickname as he started to have a spasm. "And -Backstabber." Valeria glared menacingly at Tonpa who shivered.

"Pfft...no offence Valeria, but Tonpa seems too useless to kill anyone. I don't think you're scared of the right person. Hisoka and Gitta-whatever, I understand but not Tonpa." Killua stuffed his hands in his pockets as he held back his laughter

"I never said he was going to kill someone. If you're wondering about the hidden meaning, I meant I'm going to wring that little weasel's neck with my own hands." Valeria said it loudly and Tonpa seemed to walk to all the way to the opposite side, avoiding Valeria's group.

"Oops, I said it loudly by accident. I guess a certain chicken got too scared and ran away." Valeria picked her nose as she sneered at Tonpa who glared back.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing." Something flew by Tonpa and he turned back only to see a hole blasted in a large stone behind him. Shakingly, he looked back at the female gorilla, only to see her tossing a stone up and down in her hand with a frightening grin. "Oh dear, I'm missing one of my rocks. I guess one of them slipped by accident."

Kurapika sighed at Valeria's childish actions while Killua was picking up rocks from the ground and donating it to her. The two both had rather devilish looks as they peered at Tonpa. Gon merely laughed while Leorio cheered her on.

"Satan's children…" Tonpa muttered, mainly directed at Valeria and Killua.

 **AN's:**

 **27* Originally in the story there were 25 candidates who passed (including a dead one) but I realized it wouldn't work even if I replaced Valeria with one of the characters and if there was an odd number of candidates.**

 **Anyways please review and see you next time :3**


	9. Chapter 9: There's No Mercy in Pranks

Are we there yet?" Valeria blew a bubble from the bubblegum she was head was leaned back and her hair was dipped within the water. The girl didn't care at all...she just wanted to lie down and do nothing but as expected, the Hunter exam wouldn't allow her to easily do so.

"Almost...and sit up. You're hair is getting wet." Kurapika leaned over and scooped up her floating her and patted them dry with a towel that he had stuffed in his bag. It was from Valeria when she had smuggled some off of the blimp, mainly because it was labelled free and the girl was drawn towards free items.

The female gorilla waved her hand, dismissively as she groaned an inhumanly noise that dragged on for a while. "My least favourite place is the ocean. No goddamn, freaking plants."

Leorio scoffed at the girl as Gon and Killua chuckled. "Look at this gorilla carelessly thinking about other things beside the exam. Read the atmosphere." Valeria raised her head slightly to see the tense and dark atmosphere that surrounded everyone and leaned back down.

"What are they? Moody teenagers in their emo phase?" The girl grumped as she yawned loudly before propping herself up properly. "At these kind of situations, it's best if you relax. If you don't, you're all going to grow old with white hair and wrinkles. Like him." Valeria pointed at a thin figure who had white hair and was dressed in a thick bundle of cloaks. He had numerous amulets and bracelets worn on him and from underneath his hood, you could see his baggy, red eyes. The man turned and glared at her, with his sharp canines showing. He pulled out a talisman and began muttering.

"You crude, brutish brat! I'll show you the powers of my curse, hahahaha. For I am a shaman! The ultimate master of the Spirit Realm!" He cackled evilly and Valeria scoffed, picking her nose as she looked to the side, disinterested. His number was 119, her target. She barely noticed the man's presence and perhaps it was when she retrieved her card, did she acknowledge his existence. He seemed like a shabby, cult scammer but if only he was. Otherwise there's no way the creep would have made it this far. She clicked her tongue in annoyance as she had no intel at him but she, however,had idiotically not bothering hiding her physical characteristics. Valeria then sighed and shrugged. It was a pain to fret about these kind of things so she decided that she'll just deal with everything later. She also has her weapon hidden as a trump card.

"I'm not crude and brutish, you self-proclaimed shaman. I'm a delicate angel in her extremely delicate blooming years. You on the other hand, seem extremely shady. Are those even proper talismans?" Valeria decided to provoke him while her group of friends seem to pale at her definition of herself because Valeria was anything but "a delicate angel".

"What?! These were specifically gifted upon me by the most well known spiritualists! Only 300 Jennies and an additional 500 jennies for the spiritual ink!" The shaman waved his talisman around whereas Valeria and her group gave the same stare: "What. The. Fuck?"

"I'm not even going to…" She trailed off as she raised both of her hands, too tired to deal with another eccentric. She already has four teenagers she needs to babysit. A naive cinnamon roll, a satanic troublemaker, a smartass who is a little too thirsty for the blood of spiders, and an immature rude brat.

"His number is 119. I checked earlier when I couldn't find my target. Anyone of you have him?" Killua informed them with a low voice. Valeria groaned as she clutched her head. Great. She completely forget she will have to eventually deal with his spiritual talks and tricks.

"Me." She cursed. Killua's face immediately became cat like as he was obviously enjoying this situation. Even Leorio felt the need to laugh while Gon and Kurapika's face was filled with pity.

"Well...it's not as bad as Gon. He has…" Killua trailed off as he looked at a certain someone. Valeria immediately grabbed Gon protectively as a low growl escaped from her mouth.

"The pedophile? Are you joking? Gon, do you need me to stall time for you to steal his card or what? I'm going to kill that bastard if he goes near you." Valeria began to emit a murderous stare at Hisoka and before he could sense her hostility, Killua slapped her eyes. The girl screamed as she pried off the child's hands with bloodshot and teary eyes.

"My eyes were open you bastard!" Valeria yelled at the kid who just mischievously whistled. Kurapika chuckled nervously as she stood up and took off her bag with a evil and ticked off smile. "V-Valeria? What are you going to do? Everyone's staring."

"What am I going to do? I'm going to murder that child." She shouted as she ripped off the ledge of the boat and raised it over her head as tears still continued to flow from eyes.

"Oi, oi. It's just a slap. Calm down. Besides, you're only three years older than me, you're technically a child too." Killua stifled his laughter, but at the same time was staring warily at the large broken piece of wood in her hand.

"A slap to my naked eye! Hope about I pry your eyes open and slap them hard?" Valeria rotated and cracked her shoulder. The people on the boat looked at them, some with amusement and others with mockery. They didn't take the two children seriously but the two were going to prove the people wrong. Valeria shouted as she threw the wooden board at Killua who leapt up and stood on the ledge.

Valeria pulled out the wooden board with ease as she twirled it in her right hand before firmly grabbing it. THen she spun it around, trying to windmill smack Killua. The white haired assassin ducked as he went to where the other contestants were and Valeria began to play "Whack-the-Killua" which began to create holes in certain parts of the ships and broke off the ledge. Tonpa and Hisoka were coincidentally somehow in the worst position of the entire boat. They soon found themselves in an area with no ledge and holes around them.

"Oi! Valeria! Killua! Stop! You're going to sink the boat." Leorio shouted. Kurapika narrowed his eyes. "There's something wrong." The two children were panting but smiling at the same time. It was as if they weren't even fighting in the first place, but merely playing a game. His eyes widened as he watched the next scene play out in slow motion.

Valeria and Killua slowly turned towards Tonpa and Hisoka with a devilish grin and raised their legs, kicking them both off the deck with their middle fingers raised.

Tonpa landed into the water while Hisoka decided to let them kick him into the water, with amusement. THough he immediately with ease pulled himself up and threw the two over.

"An eye for an eye." He purred as he slicked back his wet hair and the two children stared at him with unamused eyes.

"Well that backfired." As the two both grabbed Kurapika's hands. Tonpa on the other hand, was struggling to swim and keep up with the boat.

"I didn't expect that to happen. Was everything planned, including the slap to Valeria's eyes?" Kurapika sighed as the two began to struggle and attempt to kick each other off the boat so they could get on first.

"Nope. Which is why I'm going to get on the boat first." Valeria swung a kick at Killua who lets go of Kurapika's arm but instead grabbed onto Valeria's legs.

"Why you-" She tried pushing him off but the brat had the nerve to pick his nose and stick his tongue at her. The two began to bicker while Kurapika told them to calm their asses down because he was going to get dragged down. After what seemed like a while, the two both got on and Kurapika began to pat the girl dry again while Gon was helping out with Killua. Leorio laughed at Valeria as he began to call Killua, Valeria 2.0.

"Shut up Luigi!" Valeria hissed but obediently didn't move because Kurapika was drying her off. THe boy had grown on her to be a precious cinnamon roll, next to Gon and her younger brother. She labelled her other two friends as precious punching bags. That's how Valeria divided her friends.

"Gosh Valeria and Killua...I didn't expect you two to take your jokes too far...because the boat is close to sinking. Thankfully, we're already here." Gon laughed as Kurapika sighed and nodded in agreement. They all stepped off of the boat as someone threw a floating rescue tube at Tonpa and dragged him back onto the island. He glared at the pair of devils who returned his hostility and then he whimpered. Hisoka on the other hand, merely chuckled as he slicked back his hair.

"Gon, this is a good chance for you to become stronger. But…" Valeria trailed off. It was a common practice in her clan to always aim to kill someone stronger but Gon may have never experienced being constant danger and living on the age. So it might not be a good idea to encourage such a practice onto him. But to her surprise, Gond was quivering with a smile on his face. "I know."

Valeria opened her mouth then closed it. She then shrugged in response with her mouth slightly pouted as she muttered: "Whatever, go for it."

Everyone began to disembark slowly and Valeria sighed deeply as she was the last person to leave and picked her ears. Well then she has to be extra careful of her predator. There's no possible way for her to know so...she might as well as to enjoy the nature! Finally disembarking, the girl whistled as she casually and had her arms crossed behind her head, acting as a pillow. Her eyes wandered off side to side, on the lookout for people and at the same time: food. She stopped and bent down, looking at a golden, rounded leaf that seemed to glitter underneath the patch of sunlight leaking through. She carefully teared off the edge of the leaf and a golden liquid flowed out. From the corner of her eye, an identical plant grew except it was hidden deep within the trunk of a tree. Valeria got up and teared the edge of the other plant, which confirmed her suspicion. She grinned and began to harvest the plants while humming. She's going to earn herself quite the meal on this island. And so will her sun began to set as Valeria spent her entire time scouting and harvesting the plants she had found earlier and stored them in her bag.

The girl straightened her back as she heard a rustle behind her and kicked the air in front of her, sending back a blast of wind. The blades of grass bent back and revealed a certain man with white hair and a thick bulk of purple fabric. He was holding a purple crystal ball in one hand and a handmade voodoo doll of a girl with twintails and a cheongsam.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Valeria pointed at the voodoo doll. The man giggled, not cackled, but giggled. He attempted to sound very evil but his voice ended up being extraordinarily airy. When he was about to say yes, only to pronounce the sound of "y", Valeria kicked the doll out of his hand and stood on it. She spat on the ground and cracked her knuckles. "Oi. If you're going to curse me with a doll look alike, make it look like me. What if there's someone out there who actually looks like this, huh? They'll get hurt, you piece of shit."

The shaman shrieked as Valeria ripped the doll's head off and showed him. "I'm a friggin cutie. Not a goddamn doll with button eyes and creepy smile. Got it?" She clenched her fist and the stuffings exploded out of her hands and the shaman nodded.

"Good." Valeria dropped it as she slipped her hands into his pocket and pulled out his badge. "Thanks for the easy hunt~"

The shaman began to giggle and Valeria turned around, arching an eyebrow. "You're done for...my spirits are angry that you've messed with us." He picked up the doll that Valeria had stomped on and tossed it into the air. Out of nowhere, the doll was shredded into pieces and suddenly, scented candles lit up around her. It was now nighttime and the candles added a eery flicker to the shadows around them. Valeria glanced around before giving the shaman a crooked smile.

"Hey...what's your number?" The girl shivered as she flipped the fake badge in her hands to reveal a skull with the words "bad luck" in it's mouth.

"Not you. But we have a score to settle and...it doesn't matter as long as I get three numbers, additional to mine, correct?" He grinned wildly and Valeria crouched down, only to feel pain within her hand. Like darkness expanding and planning to engulf her, thousands of baby spiders came out of the badge and began to cover her hand, then her arm, and gradually closer to her face.

"Oh for Lavine's sake." Valeria paled as she was swallowed whole by the army of black spiders.


	10. Chapter 10:This is a Comedy Fanfic?

**Hi guys! Hope you've enjoyed the story so far and I hope you love my female gorilla as much as I do. I'd like to talk about Valeria without giving away spoilers! YAAAAAYYY! I'm guessing one of the earlier chapters with the confusing names may have thrown off a lot of people. I'm just here to explain some stuff to you because the character development and plot line is going to start going on a roller coaster ride. I think. So I just wanted to summarize and clarify some things before you guys all get a huge migraine and give up on me.**

 **Valeria grew up in a superhuman strength clan called the "Lavine"s. It's actually a...wait what is the common language that Hunter x Hunter has…? Oh well let's just call it Japanese. Lavine is actually just the Japanese version of the Lavine's language, Che'ang, of the meaning Tiger Dragon.**

 **For the entire culture of Valeria's clan, I based it off completely of China. So if you're mandarin, hurray you MAY understand the meaning of their names.**

 **Here are the names of Valeria, her little brother, and this mysterious unknown person soon to be revealed in both "Japanese" and Che'ang:**

 **Valeria: Hu Li Feng (Tiger Strong/Power Wind)**

 **Will: Hu Wen Dao (Tiger Gentle Blade)**

 **Shion (Shi for short):Long Hong Shi (Dragon Red Tiger)**

 **The first character for each of the members is their last name.**

 **Okay time to add some facts you may not have known, but aren't technically spoilers. They're just going to help you understand a bit of the future chapters.**

 **So Valeria grew up in a violent clan which it's Che'ang name is: Longhu (Dragon Tiger). As the name suggests, the clan is actually made from two separate branches. In common knowledge, all of the clan members are just identified as Lavine but within the clan, they make sure to identify each member by their branch last names.**

 **Valeria's family is from the Tiger side while the mystery Shion is from the Dragon side.**

 **Clan members who live up to the title of Lavine's being extraordinary strong are well appreciated while the rare, occasional members who have collapsing bodies, incapable of carrying the burden of their powers are considered as failures.**

 **In terms of beauty standards, women just have to be flexible, healthy and strong. Flexibility brings grace to the women's fighting style whereas being healthy and firm would ensure a higher chance of good childbirth. Men just need to be extraordinarily strong. Body weights and builds don't quite matter though many find extremely buff people attractive because...it's just seems that they have more power. Though it wasn't always necessarily true.**

 **Fun fact: Valeria is considered extremely unappealing. She is VERY inflexible and because of that, her movements (and personality!) is very brutish. She's also relatively petite.**

 **There's also a superstition going on around the clan that decides how strong someone is. For a woman, the lighter brown her hair is, and the more green her eyes are, the stronger she is. For a man, the redder the hair and the bluer the eyes, the stronger he is. Valeria has one of the lightest brown hair in her clan but her eyes are well balanced between blue and green.**

 **Of course, there's common society issues in the clan, such as sexism, political issues, environmental problems, etc. But I can't say anything right now :)**

 **Oh and fun fact: You can get executed, punished or banished if you don't meet your quota of killing.**

 **ABOUT VALERIA!**

 **Valeria, is a female gorilla who isn't exactly intelligent and tactics, education, life, etc. The only thing she is good at is annoying people, bullying people, making people cry, and fighting.**

 **She's actually considered a pretty good fighter in her clan. If only her personality didn't suck. This shall be explained later on in the story.**

 **Oh and fun fact: You can get executed, punished or banished if you don't meet your quota of killing.**

" _Little mouse can't run away, because I'm a big, bad tiger! Rawr!" A boy with curly mop of dark brown hair and green eyes sat beside a manga-reading Valeria as he was playing with some figurines. Valeria was propping her head up with, while she flipped the page._

 _Suddenly a serious series of coughing escaped from the small boy and Valeria leapt up and patted his back. "Are you okay?" The boy continued coughing and when he finally stopped, he gave his elder sister a big thumbs up and grinned: "I choked on my own saliva."_

 _Smacking the back of his head with her manga before sighing, Valeria flopped down and run a finger through her loose hair. "Gosh, Wen Dao..you scared the shit out of me." She picked up her manga and flipped through the pages. Will, Wen Dao's international name, giggled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Out of curiousity, Will approached his sister and peered down at the manga she was reading before frowning and looking up at her. "Whatcha reading?"_

 _"Shoujo manga. I'm jealous...these girls find themselves a super hottie who falls for them almost instantly and they get another hunk to fall in love with the girl but he's only there to be a huge love obstacle. How nice." Valeria yawned and her younger brother chuckled as he arched an eyebrow. "You don't seem very envious."_

 _Valeria patted his head, a small grin crawling onto her face as her eyes didn't stray away from her manga. "But I am. Cute clothes, hot guys, uneventful life, weak-ass little heroines always under the protection of a super hottie...but Wen Dao. Do you know who I have the most feels for, in every single shoutouts manga?" Valeria snapped her manga close and looked down the boy who was leaning against her, clearly enjoying his elder sister's companionship. "...The heroine?"_

 _"Nope! The rival of the heroine's love interest. I mean...they never get the girl it's so sad that it's hilarious." Valeria snickered as she tossed her manga into the middle of the room. She looked at the silver birdcage that was three meters away from them. Mama always fed the nightingales and treated them with much love. If only Papa had the same amount of love from Mama...maybe he wouldn't have been such a prick. Lol._

 _"Ahh...maybe it's because you'll never get a boyfriend and you sympathize with him. I see, I see…" A pillow was thrown at Will's face. Valeria looked at him with an unamused expression. "Bitch please...I'm just too fabulous."_

 _"Haha. I mean it's okay, even if no men will like you, there will always be H-" Will was cut off as Valeria tickled her younger brother, forbidding him to mention_ **his** _name. "That's a taboo word."_

 _"Okay okay! But…" Will's face began to change to guilt. "Jie jie*...if I wasn't born, would you have gotten a life like the heroine's? Or at least do what you like?" Valeria stopped tickling him and squinted at the ashamed boy's face._

 _"What a cutie, I can still do what I want even with a crybaby brother." Valeria scoffed as she crossed her legs in a sassy manner. Will brightened up and asked: "Then...what's your biggest dream?"_

 _Valeria stared at him, processing his question before smirking and leaping up. "Perfecting this…" Valeria started doing some weird movements with her hands as she took in a deep breath._

 _*Jie jie - Older sister_

-Current timeline-

"K*MEHAMEHA GORILLA VERSION!" Valeria shouted as she did a flashy move and waved the golden plants that she had plucked earlier. The spiders began to fall off as Valeria continued to perform an insane, stupid, and cult-like looking ritual. The girl waved the golden plants around like crazy until every single spider escaped for their lives. The plant's juice was dripping a colour of bloody red.

The shaman was extremely ticked off, and not because Valeria freed herself. "You idiot! That's a goddamn ripoff of K*mehameha from Dr*gon B*llz! I'll show you my original, ultimate technique:" The shaman immediately slouched over and started waving his right hand like crazy, forming a wind current (and gathering of spirits) in his left hand. Valeria narrowed her eyes and gasped. "Th-that can't be! The R*sengan!"

"What? NO! This is Spirits jutsu: RaSpiritgan!" The shaman sassily flipped his hair and Valeria clicked her tongue in disinterest. "That's obviously a ripoff. What the hell, I thought it would be something good." The girl tossed her bag and the plant she was holding, onto the grass. Portia's Caskets were plants that has a golden appearance but their are two types: Portia's Gold and Portia's Lead. Portia's Gold had toxic red juice in them and often works as bug repellents. Though some people may have allergic reactions to it, Portia's Gold only paralyzed a human and nothing serious. Portia's Lead on the other hand, provides healthy nutrients and has a rather unique flavour that Valeria likes to eat.

"Let's get this over with." Valeria stretched side to side and then finally cracked her knuckles. "Valeria Lavine. What's your name, shady Shaman?"

"Alexander Prince Williston." The shaman grinned crazily as he bent each and every one of his fingers. It would have been a scene that should've been intimidating, if the name wasn't...how do you say it…

"Alex what? Are you some sort of runaway noble's child who got involved with some shady cult activities and got infatuated and threw away your identity?" Valeria dropped her fists as she deadpanned. It's hard to match the physical and personality characteristics of a crazy cult manic with a dignified name that sounds like it belonged to an actual member of a royal family. "Your name is too long. I'll just call you Willy."

"You insolent-!" The shaman gasped in horror as Valeria DARED to mispronounce his name and even went to insult it. Next. Valeria decided to kill one of his precious scented candles by stomping on it repeatedly with no remorse.

"OI! What are you- Stop that! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IT COSTS 3000 JENNIES! STOP!" Alexander sighed in relief as Valeria stopped but immediately got irritated again as she spat on the candle and posed, placing her right feet on the candle. "What a ripoff. Looks like Mister Willy is very prone to scams."

"You….You've angered me greatly! Along with the spirits! I will no longer hold back!" THe shaman bit his lip really hard until it began to bleed. He pried his left hand's fourth finger all the way back until it cracked. The small fires lit on the scented candles wavered and one by one, they all vanished. Valeria looked around as she squinted, waiting for her eyes to readjust to the darkness. However as soon as her eyes were adjusted, all of the candles lit up again, into a bigger fire and they formed a ring around them before diving and shrouding itself around the man's broken fourth finger.

Valeria blinked as she rubbed her eyes, which were in pain from the sudden changes of environment. When she opened her eyes again, the fire changed it's warm and fiery colour into something like black flames. Whispers could be heard throughout the forest and Valeria inhaled sharply as she felt something slither up her back. She turned around but the feeling was gone. However, the female Lavine could start to feel numerous presences around her.

"What the fuck? An ambush?" Valeria swivelled her head left and right as the voices slowly grew louder and louder, until she could finally hear a relatively loud chant: "Sinner, beast, sinner, beast, sinner…."

The scenery around her started to waver and Valeria began to distinguish little shadowy like figure rising up all around her. "Holy…" Valeria's face paled as she saw mouths in each figure that were creepily upturned. She glanced at the shaman who did a thumbs down with his right hand as he sneered down at her. "Who were you saying was a con artist?"

"I never explicitly said you were a con-artist." Valeria corrected him as she threw a punch at one of the figures, only to have them dissipate before reforming again. It wrapped itself around Valeria's arms before staying very close to Valeria's face. The shadowy ghost slowly opened its' mouth and screeched extraordinarily loud, causing Valeria to cover her left ear with her free arm.

Valeria grabbed the spirit by it's neck and slammed it down into the ground. The spirit vanished and reappeared next to her. Valeria jumped back, next to her belongings as she stretched her hand in disgust. "Ew...it's touchable. It's like a disturbing screaming pile of shit." She grimaced and grabbed her bag, having it slung over her shoulder. Valeria stared at the chest pocket of the shaman who seemed to notice and shrieked like a childish girl.

"Pervert!" He hid his chest and hugged his crystal tightly. Valeria winced in absolute disgust as she paced herself in circles. "Think whatever you'd like, Willy." Valeria lunged for the shaman who ducked out of panic. It was the right response however as the girl aimed for his face.

"How dare you?!" Alexander shouted as he leapt back up while Valeria rotated her wrists. She reached for the crystal ball that the shaman seemed to held precious and grabbed ahold of it while the other man used all of his strength to hug the ball tightly.

"W-what do you think you're doing? This costs 600,000 Jennies!" He cried as he literally hugged the ball while Valeria single handedly lifted both the crystal and him off the ground. The spirits around them were perplexed on what to do as there is a possibility for them to injure their summoner. So what do they do? Drink tea and watch.

"I don't care. Either you hand over your number or your precious decoration gets shattered." Valeria tilted her head and made a thumbs down sign with her other hand.

"No no no! Not the crystal! Do you know how long I have saved up for this crystal? YOU CAN'T BE THIS CRUEL! We're supposed to have touching and epic battles like N*ruto and S*suke! Have three episode long of friendship talk such as N*tsu from F*iry Tail who just beats the crap of everyone from friendship! Not this low-life type of blackmailing! I especially won't lose to an undignified, brutal gorilla like you!" Alexander squirmed as he hugged his crystal tighter.

Valeria scoffed and tightened her grip, causing a small crack on the surface of the crystal. The shaman let out a high pitched girlish scream. "This is a goddamn fanfiction, not to mention in the comedy genre. Descriptions of long ass battles is definitely way too boring for the audience and besides…you don't have any friends." Valeria tightened her grip even more and Alexander screamed once more.

"I give! I give! Please let my baby go! Here's my badge!" He passed his badge to Valeria he tossed it in her hand and then stared down at him, before utterly crushing his crystal ball and dusting off her hand. "See you later." Valeria walked by the onlooking spirits who all watched her disappear into the night of the woods before they looked back at their crying master. Alexander looked up, hoping to seek sympathy from them but they just shook their heads at him, as if telling him he acted so lamely.

"You bullies! Every single one of you! I give up on being a shaman!" Alexander cried.

Meanwhile, Valeria washed her hands in the river and splashed her face with the bone chilling water. She sighed and stood up, looking at her badge. This technically means she received all of the points she needed. Valeria sneezed as she stared at her reflection in the water narrowing her eyes. Fiddling with the strands of her hair before looking side to side. She then punched the water before standing up and grabbing her bag, turning away.

" _Seriously?" Will deadpanned at his sister. She looked absolutely retarded and the nightingales behind her were chirping, as if they agreed with him. Valeria tossed her hair and placed her hands on her hips. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"_

 _"I seriously doubt you'd be able to do it. Besides...are you even reading shoujo mangas? What type of shoujo manga are you reading that has an iconic shounen manga's ultimate move in it?!" Will watched his sister stretch from side to side._

 _"Don't be such a smartass, Wen Dao." Valeria tossed a pillow at her younger brother as she walked out to the outdoors hallway and perched on it. All of the buildings here in the Lavine clan were crowded, but well ornamented and beautiful. All of the rooms are connected by an outdoor wooden hallway and instead of a yard and garden surrounding a single building, the architecture is built around a square area of greenery._

 _Valeria was enjoying her scenery and Will watched his sister suddenly change her expression into displeasure. He hopped off of the couch and ran over to wear his elder sister was perched as he peered over the railing._

 _"Is something wrong? Ah. It's Hong Shi Ge Ge*! Oiiiii! Ge Ge!" Will shouted as he waved his arms at a cloaked figure. Valeria immediately covered his mouth, sending him a death glare. "That. Word. Is. Taboo."_

 _Unfortunately for Valeria, the figure turned around, taking notice of them. His face was covered with bandages and the cloaked figure pried down his bandages, revealing a childish smile and a rather appealing youthful face. The hood fell down and it revealed flaming red hair tied in a braid._

 _"Does he think bandages are a trend or what?" Valeria stuck up her middle finger at the figure in the courtyard who responded with a thumbs down._

 _"I honestly like ge ge a lot." Will tilted his head while looking at Valeria._

 _"If you're suggesting your sexual attractions towards him I won't allow my precious younger brother be in the hands of a bloody beast." Valeria got up and kicked Shion who leapt up and attempted to join them. Shion was sent back down the courtyard with a large boom, before he could even say hello._

 _"...That's not what I meant." Will deadpanned at his childish elder sister who cackled evilly at the injured man. Their father came running into the courtyard, along with their mother. They helped up the youth while Valeria's father threatened to murder her. Valeria rolled her eyes as Shion got up and her father motioned the two to come down._

 _Valeria princess carried her younger brother who shut his eyes in embarrassment as they leapt down. The moment they did, Shion landed a kick to the side of Will's ribs, sending him flying through the brick walls of their home._

 _"Wen Dao!"_

 _*Ge ge = Elder Brother_


	11. Chapter 11: A Brutal Greeting

The hunt for the badges came to a stop as the final day came forward and Valeria, went towards the starting point with two small bags of herbs and plants. Hisoka was already there and he glanced at her up and down with a calculating look. Instinctively, Valeria hugged herself and shivered with disgust.

"Dear oh dear, you look like a mess." Hisoka scoffed before turning away and our gorilla felt her left eye twitch before sighing. Familiar voices called out her name and before she could turn around, Gon leapt onto the girl's back. This caused her stumbled forward for a bit before she caught herself. Leorio and Kurapika appeared on either side of her and carried her bags as she arched an eyebrow.

"What's this? Was there a party or get together that I wasn't invited to?" She asked, taking in Gon's and Leorio's beaten up figures. Kurapika grinned. "No, not at all. Killua wasn't there with us either."

"Speaking of Killua, where is he?" Gon searched around the area and noticed his silver haired friend waving at him. The assassin walked towards them and Gon leapt off of Valeria's back to high five his friend. The momentum, however, made Valeria fall face flat onto the ground as she laid there for a while. Leorio nudged the motionless girl with his foot before she slowly stood up and dusted herself off.

"You seem...sloppier than usual." Leorio leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse at the lifeless friend. Valeria turned her head sharply at him, only to reveal pale bags underneath her eyes as she pointed at the bags. "I've been on a hunt."

"This girl's priorities…" Kurapika shook his head and chuckled hopelessly. The examiner got off of the boat and began to mark everyone's badges to see if the contestants have passed.

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

"An interview?" Valeria stared at the chairman who scratched the bald part of his head. Valeria attempted to not look at the glossy gleam it possessed and instead, filled up her mind about plants.

"Yes...it's somewhat related to the final round of the exam." He glanced up to see Valeria's zoning out gaze before looking back at his paper. He dipped his calligraphy brush into the ink before speaking up again.

"Why do you want to be a hunter?"

"Ah, you know. For this and that...travelling, researching plants, you know? Inaccessible goods that I cannot receive in my country." Valeria gave up and stared at the gleam on Netero's forehead.

"Who are you watching out for?"

"That would be Number 44 and Number the Needle guy. Honestly, it amazes me if the others even remember everyone's number. Anyways, I'm watching out for them because they give me the creeps. The concept of pedophilia and extreme masochism terrifies me a little." Valeria started making picture frames with her fingers as she now examined a calligraphy scroll hanging behind the chairman.

"Ho ho...Needle guy-? Oh, him. Now, the final question: Who would you not want to fight?" Netero scratched his head.

"Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika for positive reasons. Though I may not seem like it, I get emotionally attached."

"Mhmmm...I thank you for your answers. You are now excused." Valeria got up and walked out of the door. As soon as she did, someone attacked the chairman who chuckled and scratched his head as he dodged.

"Are you happy now, Hong Shi?" The old man stroked his beard and set down his paper and brush. The attacker sat down across from the geezer and had an innocent looking smile graced on his face.

"Happy? The purpose Li Feng (Valeria) was sent to the exam was so she could get stronger. And not have emotional attachments." The attacker accused, his cheerful tone did not completely hide his mocking and dissatisfied tone.

"They say friends make a person stronger." Netero rolled his neck.

"We say that emotional connections make you weak and vulnerable." Hong Shi stood up and left the room, making sure to slam the door to show his unhappiness. The chairman crossed his arms and sighed. "You can tell why Valeria is in her rebellious phase."

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

The blimp landed at an extravagant, palace like architecture. Valeria's group of friends murmured in excitement, or specifically: Gon and Killua was. Think of how much they could explore, how fun it would be to play hide and seek, and how exciting it would be to scare the wits of others. The architecture was the last exam site, as well as a place for everyone to sleep, eat and rest up before they were to continue the exam. Valeria inhaled deeply before saying: "Thank God sleep is part of this."

The group laughed and Valeria felt herself crack a small smile at the idea. However, life never goes the way you want and Valeria herself, should have expected that. A voice of confidence called out her name, tauntingly, from where she thought Chairman Netero was supposed to be.

"Sleep is a symbol of weakness. I believe Sir Donghu have integrated that idea into you, LiFeng." The group turned around, all except Valeria who felt herself stiffen and turned ice cold. Her expression, on the contrary, remained passive because she was taught to not show fear. Because that is the symbol of weakness. And "weakness" did not go well with her clan's ideologies.

"Chairman Netero...if that is-" Valeria was interrupted as the voice smugly continued to taunt her. Her friends noticed a small crack appeared in her own voice and they then looked at the newcomer with a hardened gaze. The male was neither a boy nor a full grown man, but somewhere in between, at the fresh age of 18. His hair was a brilliant scarlet red that was tied into a braid, which gently hung over his broad shoulders. His eyes challenged the colour of his flaming hair with bright, royal blue eyes. He wore a traditional Che'ang clothing with the pattern of a red dragon printed on his back.

"I also happened to hear that you've grown...emotionally attached? I assume it's the child dressed in green with a look of naivety in his eyes. Is it because he resembles Wen Dao?"

Valeria turned around and flipped her middle finger at him, with her head slightly tilted upwards showing arrogance. "I will not acknowledge nor speak that crude language. I will not accept that as my native language and LiFeng is NOT my name." As soon as she finished her sentence, her body was forced back and knocked through the wall of the palace. Her body twitched and her consciousness swung back and forth between leaving and staying.

Shocked, the contestants and the judges began to murmur and walk towards Valeria, only to be stopped by the chairman. "Ho ho...I believe you are all tired. Go and rest up, leave these two beasts to 'talk it out' themselves. Though I would prefer if you don't kill or cause her to be disabled, Shi."

Shion smirked as he looked down at the man before replying: "Don't order me what to do, old geezer. But don't worry, I'll just warm her up before the finals." Netero glanced at the red haired male before Kurapika, Gon, and Leorio formed a barricade between Shion and Valeria. Killua hung off at the side, eyeing the redhead warily before standing next to his friends.

"We won't let you hurt Valeria!" Gon pulled out his fishing rod and Shion rubbed his chin in amusement. He leaned forward and in a quiet murmur, he asked: "What can you do, boy?" Shion pressed an index finger on Gon's head and within seconds, Gon's body started to crack the ground beneath him until his legs gave out and caused him to kneel.

"Get out of the way! Don't get involved!" Valeria shouted as she stood back up, slightly wobbly before shaking her head and wiping the blood from a cut on her face. Shion shifted his attention back to her, with his "innocent", close eyed smile gracing his face. "LiFeng, or should I say Valeria, are you challenging me or protecting them?"

"Why the fuck are you here? I thought you went overseas and then head back to Che'ang during this time to meet with Donghu." Valeria snarled, a small growl escaping her lips. Killua and Leorio hurriedly pulled Gon away while Kurapika looked back at the angered girl. He felt her fear and disgust so greatly, that he could hardly believe she was the same gorilla who was usually impassive, who couldn't give a shit, and who thought there would be no tomorrow.

"You used to call both him,'Papa', and I, 'Ge ge' so affectionately. Treating elders with respect is a major part of our culture. " Valeria lunged at him with her right leg swung at full force. Shion raised his right arm and grabbed her ankle, twisting it in a certain direction so it made her crash straight down into the concrete.

"Valeria!" Kurapika drew out his swords while the others properly stances themselves, with only Leorio kneeling slightly to prevent Gon from putting himself in danger again.

"Stay out of my way!" Valeria gritted her teeth while Shion retained his innocent like smile. Shion placed his foot onto Valeria's left hand and slowly, he began to crush it. At first, she did her best to remain impassive until it reached the point where she used her right hand to grab his ankle and used all of her strength to raise the his foot. Beads of sweat, caused by her agony, rolled down the side of her face as she could only lift the foot barely off of her hand.

"What's Lesson 4, Valeria?" He purred as he, with ease, resisted the girl's struggle. "Legs are always stronger than arms-" He was cut off as he noticed Kurapika leaping up with his swords swung at his direction. However, the redhead failed to notice the red tint of Kurapika's eyes. Chairman Netero suddenly appeared and stepped in between them, with his hands clamped over the wooden sword wielded by Kurapika.

"That's enough, Hong Shi. They have to pass the final exam before you dismember them all."

The redhead blinked before cheerily stepped off Valeria's hand and clapped his hands. "Ah! I forgot! It's just been so long since I've seen her." Valeria immediately got up and glowered at him, with a small snarl. Shion smirked and then turned away to follow the chairman. "You almost look like a real Lavine. Our ancestors would be so proud to know that your family is not filled with failed genetics."

Valeria lost her snarl and sighed, with frustration hidden beneath her tone. Kurapika glanced at the redhead before helping to pull Valeria up. "Who was that? He seems dangerous, and perhaps even more so than Hisoka." Valeria winced as Leorio hurriedly came over to wrap up her hand before she could shake it a little and then sigh once more, reverting back to her sloppy self.

"Remember the old lady we met back at the harbour? She was talking about our clan's prodigious genius, who turns out to be a complete, psycho and aggressive sadist. I don't know how dangerous Hisoka is, but that pedophile is at least logical and not as aggressive." Valeria glanced at Gon who was being scolded by Killua for his reckless behaviour and then turned towards the older males, whispering. "Hisoka is the type to wait for his prey to grow up and not attack those who don't seem to bother him in any way. He's not interested in the weak either. However...Shion doesn't care who and what he kills."

Kurapika and Leorio exchanged glances before Killua and Gon approached them with a curious look. "Who was that, Valeria?" Gon asked innocently and Valeria felt guilt and fear crawl over her.

"Someone who you should never get in the way of." She shakily reached her hand towards Gon and felt her vision go black. However, the darkness quickly dissipated when Killua grabbed her wrist and with a concerned look. "Why are you reaching for his throat?"

Valeria blinked before drawing back her hand and rubbing her wrist. "I'm warning all four of you. NEVER go near Shion. Even I, don't have the courage to fully stand against him head on. And Gon, you should be most aware of this."

"Why?" Gon asked, cluelessly. Valeria shook her head and then patted his head.

"Because you resemble my brother."


	12. Chapter 12: Loathing

_Strength. That's all that matters within the Lavine clan. If you were weak, Mother Nature will throw you away as a part of natural selection. If you couldn't fight, the strong will bully and devour you. If you couldn't be strong, no one will be by your side. That, was the lesson Valeria's father had taught her since she was born._

 _"Daddy! What are you doing?" Valeria shouted as she swung side from side, hanging upside down from deep within the forest, off of the side of the mountain where the village far from the capital of Che'ang._

 _"Make it back to the village yourself. If you're strong, you will make it." The first time, but certainly not the last, was when Valeria's father turned on her. Left at the mountains right at sunset, wolves began to gather near the six years old child and she spent two weeks trying to fight her way back._

 _With no knowledge of herbs, shelter or anything except fighting, Valeria was in a sickly state when she got back home and also suffered numerous infections and food poisoning._

 _Things only went downhill from there. One by one, everyone turned on her and that's when Valeria realized. You fight for survival and you cannot depend on anyone. That's the rule of the Lavines._

 _You cannot depend on anyone even if they are the people who gave birth to you. Her mother whom Valeria considered rational and different, could not escape from the natural instincts of the Lavines. She began to avoid communicating with Valeria altogether other than talking to her about her father's plans. And there was one person who completely destroyed Valeria's faith altogether: Long Hongshi, commonly known as Shion Lavine._

 _A boy with the reddest hair in the village, carrying on the hopes of being the strongest warrior. The grandchild of the previous clan leader who had already killed a bear with his bear hands at the age or when Valeria struggled through the mountains._

 _It wasn't uncommon for the two to bump into each other, due to their hierarchy. Just like Shion's grandfather was the previous clan leader, Valeria's father is the current head. Shion originally had the smile of a genuine naive child who spent most of their days staring off at the canyons on the edge of the cliff. He was quiet and often contemplated about things. Valeria was the loud and obnoxious child who would constantly dig her nose into other people's businesses. Playing ball and stealing food from food stalls were hobbies that the pair shared but through the puberty stage of the Lavine's they have grown to be completely different characters._

 _At the age of 12, Shion joined the battlefield with his father to assist the Emperor of Che'ang to conquer a neighbouring and collapsing ethnicity. After a two years expedition, when Valeria was 12 and Shion was 14, the boy had come back drenched in blood. A smile that still seemed slightly innocent, had erased all genuine gestures in it. There was only an enjoyment and thirst for blood and battles._

 _When they reunited at the cliff, she brought a small bunny that she had found from the outskirts of the village and thought that the two could still enjoy games and maintain a friendship like they did in their childhood. But the only reply she earned was when Shion picked up the bunny and squeezed its life out with one hand. The blood splattered itself onto both Valeria and Shion's faces._

 _All Valeria could do was stare in shock and horror at the boy who looked quite amused with her expression. As Valeria was about to protest Shion tossed the corpse off the cliff and walked past. "Life is a battle and if you're weak, you won't survive. You should be aware by now."_

 _And indeed, Valeria was. The days her life was carefully carved into murdering as a quota and a norm dawned to her that her clan was just a bunch of barbaric killers. Nothing could glorify or justify their actions and their bloody rituals._

 _At the age of 13 was when the very thought of being linked to the clan was repulsive. One of the most popular ceremonies in the Lavine clan was the coming-of-age ritual. One would be considered as an adult if they turned 16 and Valeria was invited to Shion's._

 _The ceremony was sickening, as people came to watch an animal gathering. They cheered and whistled as they sat around an outdoor arena, making Valeria think it was a festival. However, two people appeared on stage dressed in red, traditional and simple clothes: Shion and his father. Confusion wrapped itself around her as she watched the two clash, too aggressive to be a friendly brawl._

 _Shion attacked mercilessly against his father with a bright smile on his face and a dangerous glare in his eyes. As his father drew out a weapon and used his nen to engulf it flames, he leapt up and was ready to kill his own son._

 _At that moment, Shion conjured spiritual matters that formed figures and they latched themselves onto his father and dragging him down onto his knees. Shion then pierced his hands into his father's chest and ripped out the heart, before squashing it. The arena roared in delight and Valeria held in her urge to throw up._

 _Shion licked his lips and kicked the corpse before pumping his fists into the air and smirking at Valeria's direction._

Valeria stared at the two bags that were across from her with a blank stare. Gon and Killua were rummaging through the plants and they began to assort it for her, with a hope to force her to make her usual retorts.

"Valeria? What plant is this?" Gon picked up a shimmery gold fern, the one Valeria had used to chase away the swarm of spiders in the earlier chapters.

"Sweetened Purity. It makes decent tea-" Valeria was cut off as a blank stare washed over her face. Gon had began to stick it into his mouth and began chewing it while Killua, on the other hand was slapping his back.

"Spit it out! Spit it out! What are you doing? You don't eat random things-"

"It's not poisonous...thought I don't think you should pick up the habit to just stick things into your mouth…" Valeria lied down and sighed. She began to wonder why Shion was here and if there was a reasoning that involved her. After all, Shion is more suited for battlefield and killing rather than just watching an examination. She shot up, biting her thumb nail. What if he was the final? Her face paled and she felt sick to the stomach.

"Wowwww!" Gon, Killua, and Kurapika were suddenly up close to her. Staring at her thigh which had the dragon tattoo and the Che'ang symbol on it, Kurapika tilted his head slightly and asked:

"Are you from the dragon's lineage?" He asked and both Gon and Killua looked at him in confusion. Valeria shook her head and pointed at her back. "I'm from the tiger's side."

"What?"

"There are two lineages within the Lavine clan: Tiger and Dragon. The tattoos on the back are supposed to resemble your heritage and the on the thigh resembles the current lineage in power. Women have their tattoos on the thigh and men on their ankles that spiral upwards."

"Ohhh" The three glanced at each other then studied Valeria's face. "Hey, Valeria?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why was he here?" Killua asked bluntly before Gon could somehow phrase much more sensitively. Valeria clicked her tongue and drew a line at her neck with a scary look on her face saying: "Who knows. Maybe he's after my head!"

"If you want, I'll do it for you before he does it." Killua volunteered and this caused the girl to smack his head. Gon giggled while Kurapika sighed in relief to see Valeria had the heart to joke around. Leorio, who had been on the bunk bed across from them rolled his eyes and commented: "Well, doesn't matter who he is. Let's just beat the shit out of him."

"Looks like Leorio has been hanging around Valeria too much. His language is getting worse." Kurapika shook his head while Valeria grinned. Even though it was highly unlikely they could do so, the very image of Shion's bruised up face was rather pleasing.

"Well for now, I suggest we get some rest before tomorrow." Valeria stretched and pulled the covers over herself. Everyone looked at each other before leaning over her with a bright smile. "Good night!" The only response they received was her hiding underneath her blanket with a grunt.

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

"You're not in decent shape, are you?" The old man in front of her asked as he sheathed his sword, once he found out that he will be fighting against not just a girl, but an injured one.

"Decent or not, talk to me after this fight." Valeria raised her fists, but they were visibly shaking. Currently, the two stood in the middle of a large room, and the examiners from the previous exam phases as well as the new comer Shion, stood at the far side. Valeria's mind was slowly becoming unstable, despite the effort she went through to understand that there are people whose motto in life doesn't have the concept of strength is key in survival. But if she shows that it's okay to be weak, there is a chance that Shion would kill her brother.

"You're an injured person, as well as a small girl. I refuse to fight. I will forfeit." Bodoro scoffed as he stared at her trembling fists and unfocused eyes before turning away before Valeria.

"Hey! That's not fair! Fight fair and square- Actually it might be better not to?" Leorio shouted out before realizing that Valeria had gorilla strength. Kurapika waited for Valeria to also stop the man from retreating but she only loosened up her fists and walked back to her spot with no will to fight. Chairman Netero also announced Valeria as an examiner who passed.

"Hmm...quite a boring fight." Hisoka commented before stealing a glance at Shion licking his lips. From yesterday's little bicker with Valeria, Shion left quite an impression on Hisoka who is currently interested in fighting to death with the male.

"I'm surprised you didn't object. I would have expected you to build barriers with the floor tiles to stop him. Is it…" Kurapika asked before narrowing his eyes at the other Lavine. Valeria placed her hand on him, turning his head away from the bloodthirsty male before picking her nose.

"If you stare at him any longer, your eyes will rot. I'm thankful for Bodoro forfeiting, even if it dents my pride. Otherwise, the fight may end up with one dead." Valeria released her grip and flicked her booger onto Shion. The male looked slightly annoyed but he retained his smile as he brushed it off.

" _You want to kill your own brother, don't you? I'll help you!" The redhead smiled brightly and plastered an angelic look onto himself. Valeria clutched the unconscious Will in her arms as she pulled out her iron staff and pointed it at Shion in defense. Her parents were in the back, with troubled looks but incapable of doing anything._

 _"Why would I kill my own brother who is the only one that is able to teach me why I shouldn't die?" She hissed as the redhead took another step forward. Valeria shuffled to the side as she carried her brother, matching her pace with Shion's while looking for a way to escape._

 _"Really now? Do you care for him because you're guilty of your inner desire to strangle him? Because he was the one who tied you down to these customs? Or do you just want to use him as a way to cling yourself onto 'hope'? Whichever the choice is, we can dispose of him after his purpose has been served." Shion cracked his knuckles as he and Valeria circled each other._

 _"This bullshit! Why aren't you doing anything, Papa? Mama?" Valeria shouted back at her parents. At this, her mother seemed to have bit her lip with a renewed resolution to assist her children but her father held her back._

 _"That's the future head of the clan, as well as the General of Emperor Pengzhu's elite squadron. Show respect, Valeria. If you're lucky enough…"_

 _"If I'm lucky enough, I can be a concubine? Are you selling your daughter and son off? What a joke, you coward." Valeria growled as Shion picked his ear with no interest. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to comment: "Unfortunately, I have no interest in sexual needs nor women. I simply believe that only the strong should survive and-"_

 _"And what? Do you truly believe that you could achieve a clan with perfect genetics? What are you going to do, conquer the world?" Valeria threw her brother onto a nearby, soft patch of grass as Shion lunged at her. The stance evidently pointed out that he was going to deliver a hard blow to the side but even if they both know that, Valeria cannot beat Shion. The girl ducked and began to strike the boy with her staff._

 _"Something like that. With 'pure' Lavines, it won't be that hard." Shion shrugged while he grabbed the other end of her staff. He ripped it out of her hand and reached for her throat, before pinning her down to the ground._

 _"You're...insane! The Zoldyck...family...H-hunter association...Phantom Troupe...they're powerful!" Valeria wheezed as she clawed at Shion's hand, which remained resilient despite the bleeding._

 _"That's what makes it fun. To be honest, all I care about is getting stronger. And I don't give a shit about the clan." Shion beamed brightly. "I want 'pure' Lavines so I can fight them all and determine where each person's place is. I want to 'conquer' the world because there are those who will definitely be stronger than us in a different aspect. The scent of battle and bloodshed is intoxicating. You would understand...the Lavines will all understand because we're beasts." He lets go of her and made sure to crush her hand. Valeria broke the skin on her bottom lip, allowing the blood flow as she resisted her urge to scream._

 _"Not all Lavines are beasts." Valeria managed to speak out, as Shion pulled away from her. Shion glanced at Will before grinning at the girl once more. "No. But you are, Valeria."_


	13. Chapter 13: Uninvited Companion

_Valeria never knew her grandparents were. If you were born from a "true" Lavine, you never should. It had always been incredulous to Valeria on how Shion managed to know his grandfather. Both the Chief prior to her father, and Shion were ridiculously strong even for a Lavine but for some odd reason, his father wasn't._

 _Shion's father wasn't weak, don't misunderstand, but he wasn't the heir to the family. His elder sister was surprisingly, chosen by Shion's grandfather to be the heir despite her rather soft personality. She was strong and independent, beautiful and fearless, but perhaps she disliked the clan as much as Valeria did. Thinking back, Valeria wonders if she was chosen simply because the previous Chief refused to step down from his reign of power over his family, even though he would let go of his political position among the clan. Perhaps he knew that his eldest daughter chose her own death rather than killing him. If that was the reason, Valeria would not be surprised. She never liked the old man because he was more infatuated with power and strength compared to Shion._

 _As she thought about her supposedly childhood friend's lineage, she curiously wondered about her own. There was a time that she believed her parents shared genuine joy and love with her but it was so hard to believe because of their sudden change in behaviour._

 _The first hour of her eight birthday had not even arrived and she was already, thrown into another bizarre situation quite literally. The Miazhuku Islands off of the coast of the edges of the Che'ang Empire held vicious cannibals. Thee Islands and the Empire were separated by a merciless river, which appeared to be calm, but had inescapable currents. As Valeria was dropped off on the island with no advice and boat, she watched the island inhabitants peer over at her curiously before their eyes turned into bloodthirsty hunger._

 _Two years had not yet approached but Valeria already learnt the lesson of what a child should never have to learn: Never trust anyone and it's the whole world against you._

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

"Congratulations…" Shion sang in Valeria's ear before she picked up the nearest park bench and was ready to swing it at him. "...Ugly gorilla.!" Say goodbye to the lovely bench donated by one of the Hunter Exam's sponsors. Leorio scowled at the redhead and Kurapika sighed, looking slightlydistant. Gon looked over at Valeria who's face seemed to be even more contorted into a frown than usual, before glancing at Kurapika.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked the blonde who forced a smile upon hearing his concern. The Kurta merely responded with: "I'm having a migraine." Leorio paced around, irritated and rather fidgety. He glanced nervously at the two Lavines across from them before concluding it may be a decent idea to interfere. Of course, the idea was not the best, not to mention utterly useless.

"Don't get any closer!" Valeria hissed at him, and the three friends of hers were unsure if she had said that because she did not want Leorio to be within Shion's reach, or because she was scared of everything at the moment. And the truth was, it was the latter. She's a highly defensive person and when she feels vulnerable and weak, she automatically viewed everything as a potential threat. Saying that she had trust issues is not an exaggeration. Her current jumpy behaviour did not resemble that of a descendant from the great Tiger lineage, but rather...

"Well aren't you acting like a newborn kitty? Except the only difference is that kittens are quite adorable while you're just an ugly gorilla." Shion teased as he casually catched all of the thrown objects and gracefully placed them down on the ground. Valeria growled and lunged at him with her fists clenched. The older boy simply jumped and landed on her back, kicking her so that she stumbled forward. Using her quick reflexes, the girl turned and grabbed his ankle, swinging him into a nearby tree, knocking both him and the tree down. Valeria huffed as her heartbeat refused to slow down and she cautiously circled around the damaged tree, maintaining a good distance. Shion sat up, grabbed his necked and he tilted his head side to side, relieving the tension. He grinned, clearly unphased before commenting: "You're still a newborn child trying to learn how to walk compared to me Valeria." At that, Valeria flinched before she backed away.

"Yo!" They were interrupted by Hanzo, who noticed the commotion from far away. He glanced at the two Lavines, with amusement rather than fear before Valeria straightened up from her crouched position. She noticed that Shion had not motive to fight right now and so she decided to approach her group.

"Its' baldie." She commented as she greeted the person. He forced himself to still wear his smile at that greeting before he continued with what he wanted to say. "I'll be returning to my country, It was a short, yet seemingly long acquaintance but I had fun." At this Gon grinned brightly and nodded in agreement.

Hanzo then handed Kurapika cards for the four of them as Valeria peered down noticing it was his contact information. "Let me know when you visit my country, I'll be sure to show you the best tourist spots." He then left the group as Kurapika commented how odd that a ninja like him was trying to leave a strong impression. Shion watched from afar and faked feeling hurt as he pouted: "Aww, he didn't leave a card for me."

Valeria simply muttered "Shut the fuck up" before another new Hunter approached them. Ponzo stared at them before he apologized to Kurapika and the two of them removed any hard feelings they had from the examination room.

Earlier, it was quite a scene from a drama. Valeria, Kurapika, and Leorio had sat in the back waiting for the Chairman to hand them their Hunter license. Of course, their spiky haired companion burst through the door and picked a fight with the most, as Valeria liked to describe him, repulsive and eerie person. And then all the passed Hunters began to point fingers at who passed and won the fights in the oddest and most questionable ways. Ponzo and Kurapika were close to wrapping their hands around each others' necks.

"I was angry that you were right. But now, I'm going to accept that I passed and make the best of it. I'm going to travel around the world and discover new species, as an Exotic Game Hunter."

The group marvelled before he handed them his contact and left. They were immediately approached by their first examiner before Gon left with him. The group exchanged looks before Kurapika commented: "We will wait in the lobby."

Gon came back not long after he left and Valeria and the rest had hunted down a computer. Much to their discomfort, Shion, of course followed them. Fortunately, he was rather quiet and didn't do much, and even better, he seemed rather bored and did not pay much attention. As Kurapika searched up Kukuroo Mountain, Valeria then arched an eyebrow at the country's name.

"I don't recognize it."

"No one would have expected you too." She received a casual reply from the other Lavine which provoked her to flip her middle finger at him. Gon then immediately asked if they can book tickets to leave today and Kurapika sighed.

"Why not?" Valeria reached over and pointed at a link that would directly allow them to book tickets to the Republic. Kurapika grinned and opened the link, moving quickly and efficiently to buy the tickets. An uninvited voice also chimed in: "Me too." Everyone looked at Shion and shared the same hesitance to reply or think. Of course, Valeria was immediate to complain and for the first time they heard her _whine._

"No one invited you, why are you coming?" She yelled as she stuck both of her middle fingers up at him. He hummed before his voice became dangerously low and his eyes glowed menacingly.

"Did you think I stopped by idly to watch you play around? Your father wanted me to bring you back. For four major reasons, would you like to let me explain them?" Silence filled the air and tensions was evident. Shion took in Valeria's strained expression before beaming and listing off the reasons.

"Number one, intensive training. You've turned out quite pathetic since the last time I saw you...I'm sure you don't want to disappoint your family. Two, the Emperor's Parade is coming up and his Majesty is going to handpick some generals. Again, it is for your family's interest and the clan's that you make a good impression. Three, my coronation and four….Your Birthday!" At the last word, she felt her blood turn cold and Valeria immediately got defensive.

"There's still a long time until my birthday, and I don't plan on staying home until the ceremony!"

At that, Shion's voice lowered dangerously: "I'm ensuring that once you're finished playing a game of 'friends' I'm taking you back home!" His smile then dropped and his whole face showed no amusement. "It's an order, Valeria, not a choice."

A moment of silence swept in before Valeria muttered a string of curses before she reluctantly told Kurapika to buy an extra ticket. She then grabbed a nearby chair and flung it into his face before asking. "Now then...shall we get moving?" Her friends stared at her before looking at Shion who was still smiling, just in pain and clutching his bleeding nose..

"...Yeh sure." Was all they could manage.

*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*

"Well isn't our dear Killua the young rich master." Valeria stated in a monotone voice as she literally raised her her head in a ninety degrees angle to get a good view of how tall the front gate of the Zoldyck estate was.

"The front gate is also known as the Gate of Hades because no one who's entered has ever returned alive! To enter you must pass through the door beside the security checkpoint. But the area beyond the gate is private property so we cannot proceed."

"Hold on!" Leorio glanced up and then down and then up at the gate before shouting: "This is the front gate? The mountain is all the way over there!"

"Correct! The Zoldyck own all of Kukuroo Mountain as well as the surrounding land!" Their tourist guide grinned happily while Shion whistled.

"It's a sham. No one has ever seen the family's faces...even one photo is worth millions of dollars." Two men holding heavy weapons walked up to the gate while Leorio became immediately energetic.

"Seriously? Damn! I should have taken a photo of Killua." Leorio snapped before the two men attacked the security guard, who then passed the keys to his assaultants and they passed through the gate. Moments later, a large hand passed the skeletons of the previous two people. It took awhile for things to settle in and then the other tourist guides ran away.

"Looks like we have someone who's possibly going to eat us next." Valeria stuck her hands in her pocket and the other three gave her a look. She then glanced back at them before stating: "It was a joke."

The group sighed before Gon helped the attacked security guard up. The guard invited them into his office explaining to them that they will not be seeing Killua unless they go through the testing gate. Gon was immediately angry and his failed attempts to get through the butler only caused more irritation. Leorio had tried earlier and couldn't make the door open. But after watching Gon attempt to climb the wall, Valeria faced the security guard and asked: "Do you mind letting my try?"

Shion became serious as he watched Valeria approach the Testing Gate. This was a good opportunity to measure how strong the Lavine was. If she couldn't open at least three gates, he would be majorly disappointed and even contemplate on just getting rid of her. His ideal Lavine Clan has no need for the weak and Valeria was aware of that.

She stared up at the gates before placing her palm on them. She closed her eyes, inhaling slowly before her eyes sprung open and her back muscles flexed and showed how well developed she was. The first gate opened, then the second, then third and finally, the fourth gate opened. As they passed through it, Kurapika and Leorio patted her back, noticing how her breathing pace had quickened. Shion stared at her, without much emotion before he turned away from her and awaited for the approaching watchdog. For now, she wasn't disposable yet.


	14. Chapter 14: Time for Home

"Open up the fucking door you red headed chili pepper with emotional unstableness!" Valeria had her legs twisted in an incredible position as she hopped from one side to another in front of the only bathroom available in the servant quarters of the Zoldyck family. "You goddamn girly boy! Stop braiding your hair and let me use the washroom!"

"It's not my fault that nature decided to fall upon you to use the washroom while I'm using it. If you're so desperate go pee in the bushes or whatever gorillas do." Shion replied from indoors as he braided his hair. He smiled to himself as he sadistically allowed Valeria to suffer outside. On normal occasions, she would normally bust the door down, but she was already warned that their whole group will be kicked out if there is a damage in property. Right now the whole gang was camping out in the quarters mainly because Gon wished to open the door himself and undergo some training. They were all wearing weights and that already made it hard enough for Valeria not to accidentally swing her weight and knock down a vase.

"Not my fault my ass! You were the one who put laxatives in my drinks you fucker!" Valeria growled and Shion merely chuckled in feigned innocence. "Me? Why on earth would you suggest that?Are you sure you didn't drink someone else's medications for constipation? I wouldn't be surprised if you did with that nonexistent brain of yours." A scream of frustration could be heard throughout the house.

"Despite how deadly Valeria makes Shion appear to be, I think its rather refreshing to see a easily stirred up Valeria." Gon mused as he drank his milk and ate his breakfast. Kurapika groaned and thought otherwise. "I think it's getting a little bit irritating. I see both Valeria's hatred for Shion as well as why her parents consider disowning her."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Gon laughed while gloom and annoyance emitted from Kurapika. No matter what Kurapika said, both Lavines refused to listen and the fact that they were genuinely trying to murder each other irked Kurapika's blood which longed for vengeance for his clan. He didn't understand. THey were a clan, a family, and yet they are purposely trying to annihilate their kin. It was almost as if fate was playing a cruel game on them. It took away from those who treasured, and left the ones who were toxic and murderous to unravel themselves.

"This whole feud is foolish. I'm going to do some weightlifting. Let me know when these ridiculous monkeys stop their bickering." Kurapika got up and struggled to place the heavy, empty dishes into the sink. Valeria watch the blonde leave before criticizing the other Lavine. "See what you did, you psychopathic fucking loser? Open the goddamn door before-" The door burst open and Shion tied the end of his braid with an irritated smile from his face. His entertainment from her suffering turned into annoyance and boredom from her obnoxious shouting. He made sure to slam the door open that it knocked her face. He then casually stretched before jogging on the spot and stretching. "Good morning!"

Valeria grumbled and went into the washroom, making sure to punch him in the stomach. She then rushingly shut the door before Shion got the chance to block and pry the door back open. Shion bit his lip and scoffed in frustration as he clutched his gut. He sat down and took a mandarin, beginning to peel it.

"Okay so are we ready to do this?" Gon asked as he stacked his dishes. Kurapika and Leorio nodded. Valeria immediately stumbled out of the bathroom door after washing her hands and gave him a thumbs up. The group made their way out of the servants' quarters and back outside of the main gate. The past several days were a failed attempt except for the Lavines. Gon, Valeria, and Shion were told to sit on the side obediently as puppies since there was an injured, and there were two who could already open the door. It would be meaningless if they just opened the door, the others still need a chance to train.

"Do you think we should throw them down the mountain?" Valeria whispered to Shion. The redhead hummed before responding: "I think it would be more effective if they just faced off the guard dog." Gon looked at them with disbelief before sighing. Of course that is there solution to things. He then turned towards Leorio and Kurapika who were cracking the door by the slightest bit. He took off his bandages and vest before joining the two. The door finally pushed open and Gon fell through the middle. Valeria rushed over to them and gave both Leorio and Kurapika a hard slap on the back while grinning like a proud mom. "Now we just have to pick up the silver haired hellion."

—

"Is it just me or does the atmosphere here and beyond that butler is different. Like I don't know, we are entering a cemetery?" Valeria asked as she pointed at the female butler apprentice in front of them. Gon didn't say a word and walked forward, ignoring the butler's drawn line with a staff. He was immediately knocked backwards. But he didn't stop trying. The day quickly turned from noon to dusk. Suddenly, the apprentice was shot from the side after she had softened.

"Ah. So you're Gon. I have a message from Killua. 'Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it but I cannot see you right now. Sorry.'" The lady of the Zoldyck family stepped out from the trees as she covered her smirk with a fan. She then shifted her gaze on Shion and grinned. "Future chief of the Lavines. What a surprising visit. Are you accompanying these children on their play date?"

"Well, I have to babysit one of them since the current chief needs her home. It's been a while since we've last met. You are still such a beautiful lady." Shion smiled pleasantly in greeting as he gagged a little in his mind. The woman glanced at Valeria before throwing a backhanded comment. "You flatter me, Shion and please excuse me, young one. I hardly noticed you. You don't have the intimidating and magnificent aura that the Lavines typically have." Valeria felt a vein pop as she replied. "Oh not a problem."

The woman had the nerve to gasp before she politely introduced herself, and the small child next to her. "I apologize for not introductions myself. I am Killua's mom. This is Kalluto."

"...Why can't Killua see us?" Gon asked as Valeria passive aggressively slapped a leaf of some sort onto his face and rubbed it onto his wounds. Gon winced in pain but chose to ignore it. As they continued to converse, Valeria felt her eyes twitch in annoyance at her tone. She then felt herself flinch as the woman began to scream out of nowhere and screamed about "father" and "don't do it".

"...What the fuck? Is she high?" Valeria muttered to herself then looked at Kurapika and Leorio, expecting them to give her an answer. She only received the same facial expression that she was making. Suddenly the woman turned around and ran as she briefly apologized.

"So…" Leorio began.

"I'll take you to the butler's house. There's a phone that can be linked to the main house." Canary opened her eyes slowly and got up. She then lead the group into the woods again and this time, it was a foggier and longer sky was already turning into a dark blue.

"How did you know the crazy lady?" Valeria asked Shion with a wary look. The redhead thought about it for a while, as he tried to recall the memory. He then shrugged and answered "When I went to drink with her husband?"

"Huh."

They were greeted you a line of butlers who provided medication, bandages, and tea for them. For some odd reason they were now trying to guess which hand had a coin in it. Then it became an explanation on how they were going to be tested on.

Then Killua opened the door and grinned as he rushed toward Gon and the others. "Finally we are leaving." Valeria whispered to Kurapika as she punched Leorio in the shoulder. The group left as quickly as they could and fled the town. Or that's how Valeria described it.

"I'm going to need money to participate in the auction so I'm going to find a patron." Kurapika smiled as he faced them. Leorio stroked his stubble before deciding that he will go home. "I can get accepted to medical school because this license." He smirked then everyone looked at Valeria. She looked away, almost as if she didn't have the guts to look them in the eye. Therefore Shion spoke for her. "She's going back home. There are some important things she have to prepare for right?"

The group stared at each other for a silent three seconds before Valeria spoke up again. She lazily picked her ears and offered a fist bump. "But I promise that I will see y'all on September 1st." Everyone smiled in relief before fist bumping her. "Don't forget, Yorknew City."

—-

" _Lifeng_. Did you pass?" A man asked as his back was towards Valeria. He had shoulder length, wild red hair and a broad back. There were scars on any area with skin that was visible. Shion bowed before he left the brown haired girl with the man. Valeria rummaged through her bag and pulled out her license, asking: "Do you mean this piece of trash?"

"Hmph. That arrogant attitude of yours haven't changed." He turned around to face her. He had a large scar across his face. Valeria spat on the ground as she looked at him with disgust. "I wonder who I take after, _Father."_ She pulled aside a chair and sat down, pouring herself a cup of tea and drank it. She then gagged and tossed the china cup aside, shattering it.

"Did you kill anyone?"

"The daughter who you tossed onto a boat and was sent off to fend for herself just returned and that's what you ask. Wow, I feel the love. No, father dearest. I'm not anywhere near Che'ang so why should I."

"Hong Shi told me that you've made friends. Seems like you've softened. No matter, I can easily fix this. We found a family living on the edge of the family, which is our territory. Execute the father and husband of the family." Her father waved in two men who tossed a man with ropes around him in front of Valeria. Immediately she scowled with disgust.

"P-please! Don't kill me, my family will move! W-we didn't know that we were on the property of the honourable _Longhu_ , I have a wife and two children barely six years old."The man pressed his forehead on the ground. Immediately, Valeria knocked the chair that she was sitting on, onto the ground. "This is such a bad joke. You want me to kill the breadwinner of the family?" Her father didn't say anything but simply glared at her.

"Ho? Are you actually defying me?" He focused his will to kill towards her and the girl froze. She began to tremble in fear and couldn't return his gaze. She looked away and stared at the man with pity. Extending her nails until they grew into sharp claws, Valeria closed her eyes as she apologized. "Sorry, buddy." A drop of tear fell from the man's eyes and was going to plead once more before his head was fully removed.


	15. Chapter 15: Home

Welcome home Lifeng." Baiyun, the mother of Valeria greeted her daughter barely looking. She was focused on the steam from her freshly brewed white peony tea. Valeria tossed her bag onto the bamboo built couch that was cushioned with feathers. She flopped down onto the chair and raised her legs onto the table. Only then, did her mother actually look at her, with disapproval.

"Not much of a greeting after your daughter risked her life to get this flimsy card." Valeria waved her Hunter's license before putting it away when she made sure that Baiyun saw. Baiyun barely glanced at it as she got up to tend to her nightingales in a golden cage.

"Stop being a kid. We've prepared you for situations like these and it's the bare minimum of what we expect from you." She pulled out seeds and fed it to the birds. Valeria frowned. She already expected the indifferent response from her parents. But it still hurts for her. Even though she was constantly betrayed by her personal expectations and even though she was used to the environment, after her exam, the numbness faded. Frustrated, she left without a word and went to her room, making sure to shut the door.

Her room remained untouched from before she left. Her shoujo mangas were still on the shelf and carpet, exactly as she left it. She picked up a manga, titled "O*ran H*gh Sch**l H*st Cl*b". She flipped through the first few pages and then closed it, tossing it back onto the carpet. She looked out from the open balcony connected to the room, overseeing the Lavine's territories and cliffside houses.

She then heard her father calling for her name and Valeria decided to slip out. She jumped out of the balcony and in the middle of their peach courtyard. She followed the stone path and out of the circular entrance of the courtyard. Weaving through more corridors, she pushed open the heavy iron gates of the Lavine entrance.

The street of the Lavine clan was busy and had numerous stands selling different things. What Valeria was looking for the most, was the traditional Che'ang Soup dumplings, made with fresh ingredients. The Lavines were located on the cliffside with an abundance of resources including animals and greens. Even though Valeria hated the numerous, violent traditions of the Lavine clan, she didn't particularly hate the Che'ang culture. The buildings were interesting and the food was definitely amazing.

She purchased a bowl of soup dumpling and sat down on the benches and tables next to the stand, watching people pass by. As she continued eating, someone sat down across from her. A girl with long brown hair, half tied up in a bun greeted her. She was dressed in male clothes and had a slightly androgynous look to her. She was the only one that Valeria could call a "friend" within the clan. Shion wasn't the only one she grew up with.

"Yo, Tianyu. Don't tell me the time I was away you've also subjected to the brutality of the clans." Tianyu crossed her arms as she smiled at Valeria and sat down. "You aren't the only Lavine who wants out. I'm still the same old, Lifeng, or I mean Valeria."

"Don't joke like that. You know how much I hate it when you call me by that name." Valeria waved her hand weakly, sliding her bowl to Tianyu. Her friend accepted the gesture and took a dumpling with a new set of chopsticks before pushing it back to her. "Well, you only adopted a common name a few weeks before you left. Before that, as childhood friends, I always called you by your native name. It's hard to adjust, give me a break."

"So? How did you know I was back?" Tianyu froze as she shifted her gaze to the side, looking almost shameful and uncomfortable. "Hongshi visited while I was training." Valeria glanced at her friend before sighing and continuing to eat. "Why do you look as if you're guilty? You've done nothing wrong and your family is close with his grandfather. It's not as if you're hanging out with him behind my back."

Tianyu relaxed a little as she watched Valeria pay the bill. The two got up and began walking down the busy street. As they crossed the bridge and went to the open pasture, the more remote part, outside of the clan's village where it is filled with long grass and wheat. They've enjoyed horse riding in this part as they were younger with Shion. Speaking of the devil, Valeria and Tianyu stopped as they saw the red haired male play a flute. As he finished his last phrase he then, out of nowhere he appeared right in front of them and began attacking. He first grabbed, Valeria's face and stuffed it hard into the ground, hard enough to make the ground around them crack and create a dent of a meter radius around them. Then he smiled at Tianyu, not even letting her withdraw the sword from her side and grabbed her, kneeing her hard in the stomach before attempting to kick her. Tianyu then grabbed his leg and with a swing, sent him flying into the side of the mountains, hard.

Shion grinned as he got up, unscathed, and dusted himself. Tianyu clicked her tongue in annoyance as she commented: "What a pain, that ability of yours."

"Don't complain that it's unfair, it would sound like a brat having his candy taken away from him." Shion adjusted his twisted arm and it began to heal itself. Valeria got up and felt her eyes widen at the monster. Even if Shion was supposed to be stronger than both of them, Tianyu was pretty strong herself. She and Shion were the same age but Valeria noticed that the brunette grew in power. But what scared her most was the fact that Shion could regenerate himself quickly.

"I heard of monster strength and speed, but not incredible regeneration."

"That's part of the reason why I brought you back. I'll be training you on how to be a hunter." Shion shouted, as he dodged Tianyu's attack, as she swung her sword and created a strong shockwave to leave a deep cut in the mountain.

"Even if you wish to be a man, it doesn't change the fact that you are still weak, Tianyu." Shion appeared next to Tianyu and delivered a swift and precise kick that sent her being flattened against the ground. The girl groaned as she she wiped the blood from her mouth as Valeria then attacked from behind and grabbed the male by the head and throwing him into 5 trees.

"Weren't you training Wendao? Where is my brother now? What training would you do for me? Kill me?" Valeria helped up Tianyu who grunted in pain as her whole body ached. Shion lifted himself up and returned the ever so irritating close eyed smile. "Wendao is also back, though I'm not sure he acknowledges you as his sister. And you're still as clueless as ever aren't you. No human can just regenerate instantly no matter the training. You can be invincible, thought. It's Nen. Once you unlock that, you can be strong." Valeria saw a spark of excitement and bloodlust in his eyes. "Oh, and Tianyu can use it too." Valeria glanced at her friend who nodded. Suddenly, she remembered something more important.

"Where's Wendao? You didn't do anything to him right? That's why I was against you taking him in the first place." Valeria bit her lip until it bled as she trembled angrily. Tianyu placed her hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her down. "He's safe, Valeria. I saw him. In fact he seems more well built and healthier than the last time we saw him."

"See? Want to go visit him?" Shion crossed placed his hand on Tianyu's back, healing her. Tianyu slapped his hand away, with disdain in her eyes. Valeria also stepped in between them to protect her friend. "Yes."

—

Valeria peered from the side of the column as she watched Wendao bowing in greeting to his father. As usual, Donghu was a complete jackass to his children by asking about whether or not his son actually did anything to be admired or if he's just dawdling. Wendao still had the patience and bowed, as he calmly explained everything. Valeria bit and teased at her handkerchief in irritation.

"That damn geezer! I'll tear him apart and teach him a thing or two about respect."

"That's fine and all...but why are we _stalking_ your brother?" Tianyu sighed as they crouched down behind the ledge. Valeria began to sweat profusely as she looked away with a somewhat ashamed face. Shion raised his hand, as if answering a question. "It's because Wendao hates his sister and Valeria is too much of a wimp to confront him. So she stalks him."

"It's your fault you satanic bitch. If you didn't feed him the words of the devil then none of that would have happened. Scum. Bastard. Piece of shit. Asshole. Booger." Valeria scowled.

"I wouldn't say it's entirely my fault. Your brother was the one who easily subjected to some words. Blame him for being so weak." Shion laughed good naturedly, causing Valeria to grab him by the collar and started shaking him. His bright red braid was spotted by Wendao and he wandered over.

"Teacher? What are you doing here-" Wendao froze as he saw 's eyes kept flitting around as she tried to find her words.

"Er. Wendao. Long time no see. H-how are you?" Valeria asked as Wendao helped Shion up. He glanced at his elder sibling and sighed. "I have no time for this. I'll see you later, teacher." He bowed to Shion and then left. Valeria bit her lips before hugging her legs in defeat. Tianyu looked at Valeria with sympathy. It was probably a year since Valeria saw Wendao since he left with Shion and he probably still hates her.


End file.
